Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- A panel of experts has offered a set of recommendations to deal with the current COVID-19 reality, including a particular focus on the need for whole-of-society action rather than leaving a global pandemic to individual choices. And David Berger highlights how the facts starkly contradict the claim that we've beaten COVID rather than surrendering to it.  

- Jon Milton offers a primer on the Ford PCs' unilateral negation of collective bargaining and striking in order to avoid sharing money which the province has in hand with education workers. David Moscrop writes that the use of the notwithstanding clause in particular is indefensible from the standpoint of remotely competent governance. And Adam King highlights the importance of solidarity in pushing back against Ford's abuse of power to attack workers. 

- Meanwhile, Laura Glowacki reports on the soaring costs of healthy food which is being pushed further out of reach by wage suppression. 

- Jennifer Ludden reports on Cincinnati's smart move to take over housing from absentee landlords to ensure it's available for residents. And that makes for a stark contrast against what's happening in Regina, as Gillian Massie reports on the plight of homeless people as winter weather arrives without the city doing anything but threatening them. 

- Finally, Zeynep Tufecki writes that we shouldn't let the absurdity of Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter distract from the problems with allowing our main social media connections to be operated to primarily serve the interests of corporate advertisers rather than users. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Armine Yalnizyan writes that in the face of an impending self-inflicted recession, governments should be using their available resources (and taxing the richest people and corporations) to make sure people at the bottom of the income scale don't once again bear the brunt of economic upheaval. And David Macdonald points out that Canada's provinces have plenty of extra cash on hand compared to this year's projections to take care of people who need help. But Jim Stanford notes that central banks are instead focusing on suppressing wages while raising no issue with profit shares far exceeding their acceptable rate of inflation. And Marco Chown Oved reports that Loblaws in particular has turned inflation into an opportunity for massive profiteering.

- Johannes Van Zul reports on new research showing that COVID-19 can activate the same inflammatory processes in the brain as Parkinson's disease. And Melanie Paradis discusses the glaring shortage of medication for children facing the combination of COVID, cold and flu. So naturally, corporate Canada's response is...to demand that government workers be forced back into offices to increase the spread of the coronavirus. 

- Robin McKie discusses how the window to avert climate catastrophe is rapidly closing. And Christopher Flavelle reports on the Biden administration's recognition that many communities will have no choice but to relocate in the face of baked-in climate change. 

- Meanwhile, Ben Elgin and Sindura Rangarajan report that many of the already-insufficient emission credits claimed so far are the result of accounting tricks and impossible promises rather than actual work to reduce carbon pollution. And Simon Enoch and Emily Eaton point out what Regina could be doing to implement its climate equity framework - even as its current decisions are almost invariably tilted in the opposite direction.  

- Finally, Edward Keenan writes that there's reason for anger at Doug Ford's glaring disrespect for school support staff (among other workers).

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Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Prop cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Umair Haque discusses how the UK has become a failing state which lacks the capacity to provide either basic public services or a functional economy of any kind. Adam Bychawski wonders whether any of the corporate-sponsored "think tanks" which pushed for the most destructive policy choices will ever be treated as discredited. And Owen Jones calls out the Cons' typical choice to distract from their own failings by demonizing refugees. 

- Meanwhile, Berenice de Suzanne writes that more and more Canadian corporate money is being stashed in tax havens to avoid funding a functional society. 

- Isabella Simonetti and Julia Creswell note that U.S. consumer prices are continuing to increase far past the point necessary to cover retailers' costs - confirming that much of the inflation people are facing is the result of corporate profiteering. And Kelly Geraldine Malone reports on the large number of people having to turn to food banks or skipping meals as a result of inflated food prices. 

- Daniel Drache and Mark Froese ask whether authoritarian populism will self-destruct. But Mitchell Anderson notes that hate is being cultivated by several interconnected forces which demand far more of a response than Canada has yet been able to muster. And Susan Delacourt writes that Pierre Poilievre is avoiding answering for his own support for the #FluTruxKlan. 

- Finally, Katherine Wu discusses both how COVID-19 is evolving far too quickly for much-hyped monoclonal antibodies to keep up, and how U.S. pediatric care is facing its worst crisis in decades as the coronavirus is allowed to spread unabated. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Knvul Sheikh reports on new research showing how a single COVID-19 can "rebound" whether or not it's been treated with Paxlovid. Pooja Toshniwal Paharia discusses another study estimating that 15% of the U.S.' adult population is new suffering from long COVID. And David Shield reports on massive wastewater positivity spikes in the three cities monitored by the University of Saskatchewan. 

- Meanwhile, Wayne Mantyka reports on the emergency rooms in Regina which are being crushed by failures in public health and social policy. And Allison Hanes reports on Quebec's overwhelming pediatric units.

- Zak Vescera highlights the efforts of organized labour to ensure people have adequate housing (even as the corporate sector seeks to freeze renters out of housing to keep prices up). 

- Aaron Clark, Zahra Hirji and Akshat Rathi discuss how Canada's choice to keep spewing methane emissions undermines any claim to be a responsible actor in terms of climate policy. 

- Finally, Rose Lemay writes that the Emergencies Act inquiry into the federal response to the #FluTruxKlan is exposing the preferential treatment granted to privileged white occupiers. But Justin Ling notes that they're still trying to claim victimization for facing the indignity of having some journalists point out the actual harm and potential threat they posted. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Ewen Callaway discusses the COVID-19 "variant soup" which we'll be drowning in this winter due to the deliberate elimination of any public health protections as politicians value denial over people's lives. And Tyler Cheese reports that Ontario hospitals are going to be forced to issue alerts about emergency rooms with no capacity to help patients.

- Umair Haque writes about the transition from late-stage capitalism to end-stage capitalism, as both the concentration of wealth and its social harms continue growing unchecked. And Katharine Mach and Galen Treuer discuss the need for climate adaptation plans to deal with substantial changes to everyday life, not only responding to disasters as they arise. 

- Nicole Stillger reports that most of the revenue from soaring oil production and prices is being sucked out of Alberta, while Andrew Leach calls out Danielle Smith's plan to hand even more free money to the oil industry under the guise of cleaning up some of its messes.

- Joshua Freeman reports on the response to Doug Ford's plan to turn flood-prone conservation lands into a source of short-term profit for his developer buddies with no regard for the harm to everybody else.

- Finally, Theresa Kliem reports on the growing number of people in Saskatchewan who have been forced to turn to food banks - along with the Moe government's complete lack of interest in doing anything to help.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Lara Herrero discusses how infection with COVID-19 can leave people more vulnerable to all kinds of other diseases. And the Canadian Press reports on the rise of two new subvariants in Ontario (and elsewhere) while public health officials beg for the return of at least basic precautionary measures.

- Mitchell Beer writes about the inflection point in an energy transition: there's no longer a prospect of fossil fuels being a viable long-term energy source compared to cheaper and cleaner renewable alternatives, but not enough being done to limit their continued harm to the climate in the short to medium term. And Sofia Quaglia reports on new research showing that extreme heat resulting from climate change has inflicted tens of trillions of dollars in damage, largely on countries who haven't been responsible for much of the carbon pollution that's caused it.

- Steven Greenhouse comments on the absurdity of blaming inflation caused by concentrated corporate power on the few leaders willing to occasionally question it. And Brian Sullivan points out that New York's lack of housing is being exacerbated by landlords choosing to keep homes empty rather than making them available at affordable rates. 

- Meanwhile, Noam Scheiber writes that Starbucks' cynical fight to avoid collective bargaining is being seized on by other employers to tell their employees that collective action is futile.

- Finally, Judy Trinh reports on the latest revelations as to how police bias in favour of violent white supremacists led to their failing to protect the public from the #FluTruxKlan. And Shachi Kurl discusses how telling it is that the Saskatchewan Party is willing to celebrate a good ol' boy best known for domestic abuse and the murder of his wif.

Musical interlude

PVRIS - Animal

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- The Star Phoenix reports on Saskatchewan's latest COVID-19 data showing 26 more deaths in just the last two weeks along with a rising positivity rate, while CBC News reports on Ontario's alarming numbers of deaths and hospitalizations. Wency Leung discusses the risks we're facing based on the combination of another COVID wave and a potentially severe flu season. And Meghan Grant reports on the Alberta court decision determining that decisions about mitigation measures were improperly made by politicians rather than public health officials. 

- Meanwhile, Laura Sciarpelletti reports on the increasing lack of access to emergency services in Saskatchewan. 

- Ishaan Tharoor writes that the real-world effects of an ongoing climate breakdown are far worse than the few headlines which manage to attract attention. And Kate Aronoff highlights the gas industry's attempt to claim victimization as it extracts windfall profits while continuing to pollute our atmosphere with no regard for the well-being of humanity. 

- Finally, Shannon Bond discusses the possibility of limiting the effect of misinformation by encouraging people to think critically. But Linda McQuaig points out that the right-wing extremists pushing conspiracy theories and violent obstruction have all too often found sympathetic ears among government and law enforcement authorities. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports on the lives lost to COVID-19 in Ontario workplaces and the deliberate choice by employers and governments to enable that outcome. And Carly Weeks reports that children's hospitals are having to brace for yet another wave of respiratory illnesses while all public health measures have been eliminated. 

- David Wallace-Wells writes about both the implausibility of avoiding catastrophic climate change, and the possibility of a transition to what's on the other side. 

- Padraig Moran reports on the record grocery profits being taken by a corporate oligopoly which is pretending not to be responsible for soaring food prices. And Sharif Hassan reports on the increasing number of people relying on food banks to fill in the gap in their ability to pay for the essentials of life. 

- Gordon Cleveland examines the progress Canada is making toward a national system of early learning and child care, while noting the need to ensure additional funding and support goes to workers.

- Finally, Simon Enoch offers his take on Scott Moe's preposterous excuse for a position on federalism. But if anybody thought there was a line of absurdity or sociopathy that Moe and his government wouldn't cross...it's time to think again. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Erik Swain discusses new research showing that even "mild" cases of COVID-19 produce massively increased risks of death from cardiovascular issues. And Charlie McCone questions why people being told to assess their own risk aren't being informed of the well-documented dangers of long COVID. 

- Fiona Harvey reports on the United Nations' recognition that the current emission reduction policies announced by governments fall far short of meeting the global goal of averting catastrophic climate change. 

- The Globe and Mail's editorial board points out the flawed math behind Scott Moe's temper tantrum masquerading as a governing agenda. And Howard Anglin notes that the white paper intended to declare a push toward nationhood is written at a level that would be unacceptable for schoolchildren.  

- Finally, Alex Boutilier reports on the Ontario Provincial Police's assessment that the #FluTruxKlan was leveraged by foreign actors to serve their own agendas. And Luke LeBrun points out that Ottawa's police facilitated that effort by minimizing the destructiveness of the occupation and siding with convoy cultists (and their propagandists) over the interests of the public. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Contained cats.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Hussein Kadhem Al-Hakeim et al. examine the relationship between oxygen deprivation and severe long COVID symptoms. Crawford Kilian makes the case for an inquiry to show where our pandemic response has gone wrong, while recognizing that the people responsible for those very decisions won't be eager to see their actions put under the microscope. And CBC News reports on the reality that the pandemic remains an ongoing nightmare for health care workers even as far too many others try to deny its continuing existence. 

- Alec Salloum reports on the justified frustrations of those working to help homeless people in Regina and encountering a mix of neglect and outright hostility from the governments who should be taking responsibility for people's safety and well-being. And CBC News reports on the similar choices made in Toronto (which don't figure to change any in light of an austerian mayor winning re-election). 

- Mark Schapiro highlights the financial interests pushing for continued climate degradation, while noting most people have far more to gain from a transition to a sustainable economic model. Simon Evans writes about a new study from the International Institute for Sustainable Development concluding that new fossil fuel development is entirely incompatible with our meeting existing climate targets. 

- Peter Schadt and Hans Zobel interview Hans-Jurgen Urban about the options to make sure workers don't pay the price for an energy crisis based on continued fossil fuel dependence. 

- Finally, AFP reports on new Greenpeace research into the gross failure of plastic recycling in the U.S., which is seeing only 5% of plastic waste (and falling) actually being repurposed. 

Saturday Evening Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Bob Becken discusses the use of "no smell" complaints about scented candles as a sad substitute for meaningful public reporting of ongoing COVID cases. And Aastha Shetty reports on a pilot project which is just beginning to measure air quality in a few Waterloo schools two and a half years into the COVID-19 pandemic. 

- Jim Stanford writes that Loblaws' price freeze stunt has served only to show that grocery magnates have the ability to avoid price increases when they want to - but have instead been choosing to profiteer in the course of a pandemic. Arthur Delaney discusses how the U.S. Federal Reserve is choosing to suppress wages after doing nothing to stop the portion of price hikes that could be siphoned off in pure profit. And Colette Murphy writes about the price everybody ultimately pays when we allow inequality to get out of control - as well as the readily-available measures we could be using to rein it in. 

- Mohamed Bsat notes that while there's a need to build more housing, there's also plenty that can be done to protect renters who need a home within the housing stock that already exists. 

- Finally, Bill Fortier reports on newly-released court documents showing the real steps toward violent conflict taken by the #FluTruxKlan agitators at Coutts, AB. And Jonathan Montpetit and Lori Ward investigate the influx of anti-trans candidates seeking to take over school boards to facilitate discrimination against LGBTQ children. 

Musical interlude

Tove Lo - How Long

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Marc Fortier reports on the spread of the XBB COVID-19 variant which looks to be causing widespread reinfections where it's been able to get a foothold. And Josh Pringle reports on the plea from Ottawa Public Health for people to resume masking indoors (to the extent they'd stopped in the meantime). 

- Andrew Jackson discusses why Liz Truss' laughably short and chaotic tenure as the UK's prime minister would represent decisive evidence against conservative economics - at least if the philosophy of further enriching the wealthiest people and corporations was ever subject to scrutiny by politicians and media outlets which are themselves dedicated to their service. 

- Timothy Gardner reports on a new World Resources Institute study showing that the climate promises and policies made so far fall short of being sufficient to avert a catastrophic breakdown.

- Mirzokhidjon Abdurakhmonov et al. study how U.S. Senators' stock purchases lead to inflated share values - particularly where they're responsible for overseeing the industry. And Stephanie Taylor reports on the OPP's recognition (revealed through the #FluTruxKlan Emergencies Act inquiry) that Pierre Poilievre and the Cons exacerbated the siege of Ottawa by legitimizing the occupying forces. 

- Finally, Libby Giesbrecht reports on the plight of homeless people in Saskatchewan facing a severe shortage of shelter beds - even as multiple levels of government focus more on breaking up any forms of mutual aid which could possibly offer at least a partial alternative.

Thursday Evening Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Claire Sibonney talks to Colin Furness about the cell dysregulation which looks to produce many of the most dangerous effects of long COVID. Sabrina Moreno discusses the connection between COVID-19 and a rising number of maternal deaths. And Betsy Ladyzhets offers suggestions for people looking for the most useful information still available about the risks around them, while Phil Tank rightly calls out Scott Moe and the Sask Party for keeping Saskatchewan's people in the dark (and thereby facilitating another COVID wave). 

- Meanwhile, Creeden Martell reports on CanAge's research showing the Moe government also lacks any plan to either limit avoidable cases of dementia, or address its consequences for care providers. And Steven Lewis points out that the growing cost and duration of health care education creates a barrier to filling the large (and growing) number of vacancies in the health care system. 

- Lindsay Ellis reports on the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's long-overdue recognition that toxic workplaces represent a needless danger to physical and mental health. 

- Finally, Kat Exner reports on a study from the Daily Bread Food Bank showing that most food bank users face deep poverty alongside their lack of food security and other risk factors. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Andre Picard discusses how Canada is unprepared (by choice) for the effects of long COVID, while Jennifer Lee reports on warnings from Alberta doctors that people need to take the dangers far more seriously than their political leaders are bothering to do. Matthew Braunginn writes that the ripple effects of long COVID have broad economic and social implications. And Tanya Lewis notes that the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the drug poisoning crisis has set the U.S. back by decades in terms of individual life expectancy. 

- The Canadian Labour Congress has released a report from Jim Stanford on the need to stop a pattern of interest rate increases which is doing far more to harm workers than to avoid inflation. And Hadas Their discusses Jamaal Bowman's work to address inflation through price controls which target the corporates which have used it as an excuse to extract record profits. 

- Meanwhile, Umair Haque warns that the precarious state of personal finances creates a substantial risk of systemic failure. 

- Tom Randall discusses the clean energy adoption curves which see widespread shifts toward renewable power, electric vehicles and battery storage on a scale which is likely to lead to a permanent transition.

- Finally, Justin Ling exposes a few more of Danielle Smith's more alarming public pronouncements and thought patterns - even as UCP MLAs, including the leadership contestants who previously identified at least some concerns, line up meekly behind her. 

On democratic decisions

Today looks to be a watershed moment for the future of the B.C. NDP, as its provincial council determines whether to follow a recommendation to disqualify Anjali Appadurai from its leadership race - and in the process effective disenfranchise the entire membership in favour of a coronation. 

But it's worth noting that the issue isn't an entirely new one. And the recommendation in the B.C. campaign seems to be applying drastically different standards and results than what Saskatchewan experienced in relatively recent memory. 

By way of background, in the 2009 Saskatchewan NDP leadership campaign, a volunteer on behalf of Dwain Lingenfelter's campaign submitted and paid for 1100 membership applications in the names of members of two Saskatchewan First Nations without their knowledge or consent. (The volunteer would end up pleading guilty to the criminal charge of attempting to utter forged documents.) 

Lingenfelter's campaign manager had approved of payment for the memberships - without knowing they were being submitted without the putative members' knowledge, but also without following up to determine whether there was any financial need to justify the mass payment of membership fees. And when the mass signups without consent were discovered, both the campaign and the party had to determine how to respond. 

For Lingenfelter's part, he treated the matter as being one of an "overexuberant volunteer", while not imposing public consequences on the campaign manager or anybody else. 

The Saskatchewan NDP's response was to cancel the memberships that had been falsely submitted, and to commission an investigative report into how the problem arose and how to prevent it from happening again. And while there were some calls for Lingenfelter to withdraw from the race voluntarily, I don't recall any serious possibility that he would be disqualified, either for the initial violation or for his reaction. (Indeed, my view at the time was that it was best for him to remain in the race and let members decide how his handling of the issue weighed in evaluating his suitability as a leader.) 

Comparing that situation to the one now facing the B.C. NDP, there looks to be little reason why a more severe penalty would result in Appadurai's case. Any issue about the validity of new memberships would result solely from potential regulatory non-compliance in reaching people who wanted to become members, not outright forgery to bring people in unwittingly. The investigation was able to contact questioned members at a level of detail which allowed for the flagging of specific memberships based on existing membership in another party (if one presumes that should itself result in cancellation). And there isn't an obvious difference in Appadurai's response as compared to Lingenfelter's: both acknowledged some wrongdoing, while minimizing how it would be characterized and declining to punish members of their own campaign for less-than-perfect oversight. 

That leaves a strong perception that the difference in treatment arises largely from the question of deviation from expectations. Lingenfelter was the heavy favourite entering the campaign, meaning that his disqualification might have been seen as producing an unexpected result. And conversely, Appadurai's campaign is under particular scrutiny due to the perception that she might well have signed up enough members to change the previously-anticipated outcome. 

Hopefully it goes without saying that campaign rules shouldn't be made and applied with the goal of channeling the results toward predetermined outcomes. And if the B.C. NDP decides it would rather deny members any vote than find a mechanism to cancel only questionable memberships, that figures to have far-reaching effects within the party and beyond as to whether people see democratic change as a meaningful possibility. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Casual cats.