Musical interlude

Blu DeTiger - Vintage (Flight Facilities Remix)

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Steve Hanley discusses how a climate breakdown would result in the destruction of any other social and political goals which might otherwise be achieved. Scott Forbes writes that the foreseeable consequences of the climate crisis make it impossible to shrug off denialism in theory or practice. And Laura Paddison highlights how the rapid melting of the Thwaites Glacier could cause it to collapse - and produce a massive sea level rise - far sooner than previously anticipated. 

- James Norman points out the environmental dangers of soft plastics - but also the availability of alternatives if we can be bothered to pursue them. And Umair Irfan discusses how solar power - both on its own and in combination with battery storage - is spreading faster and more effectively than projected, making continued reliance on fossil fuel energy a waste in terms of short-term costs even leaving aside the need to preserve a habitable environment.  

- Brandon Vigliarolo reports on FTC Chair Lina Khan's recognition that people deserve protection from corporate data harvesting. Cory Doctorow writes about the reality that few if any mass-produced consumer goods meet such basic standards as not engaging in gratuitious surveillance or not being subject to remote termination in the name of increased profits. And Jason Koebler notes that one project seeking to analyze human language usage has shut down due to the reality that online content is now irreparably polluted by AI spam. 

- Jake Johnson reports on new research showing that the U.S.' profit-driven health care system continues to be more expensive and less effective than any alternatives. And Christina Frangou notes that Pierre Poilievre refuses to talk about the health care privatization favoured by his party and its corporate backers - making it clear that he doesn't want to be held to the slightest commitment to preserve a public health care system. 

- Finally, Kaelyn Lynch points out how the symptoms of severe long COVID may make it impossible for people to access care. Jamie Ducharme writes about the growing evidence that COVID-19 has done widespread cognitive damage. And Rieza Soelaeman et al. find that a strong majority of U.S. adults want to be updated on COVID levels and are prepared to take protective steps when they know there's a high risk - making it all the more inexcusable that the basic information needed to give effect to that desire to help has mostly been scrapped. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Bob Berwyn discusses new research showing that existing climate models may underestimate the tendency toward extremes in water levels - including both floods and droughts. Moina Spooner highlights how Africa is facing particularly severe climate impacts (while having played little role in causing the crisis), while Bruno Kalouaz examines the rapid melting of glaciers in central Asia. And Naomi Oreskes writes about the Arctic Seed Vault as an example of adaptation which is failing due to its reliance on conditions which are now a thing of the past. 

- Judi Rever discusses how Canadian forestry policy favouring corporate interests and monocultural replanting has exacerbated the danger of wildfires. And Matt Price notes that Canada's banks and high-wealth individuals are doing nothing but obstructing climate action even when presented with proposals to incorporate the reality of climate change into organizational planning. 

- Sharon Lerner reports on the Trump administration's suppression of research showing the harms caused by industrial chemicals and systematic reprisals against the scientists who dared to report accurate information. And Leah Borts-Kuperman and Urbi Khan report on Ontario's choice to allow a company with a history of exposing residential areas to ethylene oxide to treat itself as "lower-risk" and self-report its environmental impact. 

- Max Fawcett discusses how unmanageable housing costs (particularly for renters) are at the root of voter discontent with the Libs, while James Hardwick offers a reminder that inescapable consumer debt is an integral part of the financial sector's business model. And Jessica Corbett reports on the bill being proposed by Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez and Tina Smith to develop a solution on the scale of the U.S.' housing crisis by establishing a national social housing authority with a mandate to ensure everybody has an affordable home. 

- Robert Reich highlights how the U.S.' economy is set up to serve only the narrow interests of CEOs and especially-wealthy shareholders over the general population. The Canadian Health Coalition points out that Canadian voters are placing a high value on pharmacare and investment in health workers. And Jim Stanford discusses the importance of valuing public-sector work - rather than treating it solely as a cost as corporate mouthpieces tend to do. 

- Finally, Timothy Caulfield offers an alarming look into Pierre Poilievre's conspiracy vortex. And Stephen Magusiak discusses the latest example of every right-wing accusation being a confession, as Poilievre and other prominent Con-connected politicians are actively seeking to indoctrinate students with Ted Byfield's legacy of bigotry, oppression and manufactured grievance. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jeremy Hsu discusses how people massively underestimate the disproportionate climate damage done by the uber-wealthy. Mark Fawcett-Atkinson notes that the dirty energy industry is targeting women for a new round of disinformation and greenwashing. And Rebecca Hersher points out the consequences that flow from the climate breakdown - including severe mental health challenges caused as people lose their homes and valuables to extreme weather. 

- But Patrick Greenfield reports on a new analysis showing that governments are continuing to increase their handouts to the cause of environmental destruction. And David Climenhaga notes that after failing to distribute one federal handout that it demanded to put the public on the hook for the oil industry's messes, the UCP is now trying to seize Canadians' pensions to be funneled to its fossil fuel donors. 

- Cory Doctorow points out that the principle of "shareholder supremacy" is both meaningless on its face, and promulgated solely as a matter of self-serving supposition by those seeking to prioritize capital over well-being. 

- Jacky Wong interviews andrea bennett about how food can be made healthier both in terms of nutrition and lifestyle. And Nina Massey discusses how the replacement of ultra-processed foods can help reduce the risk of diabetes and other illnesses, while Sandee LaMotte reports on research showing how toxic chemicals in food preparation can cause substantial harm. 

- Finally, Abraham Fuks, John Bergeron and Stanley Kutcher lament the stagnation of funding for health research in Canada.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

 Surfaced cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Stelios Giogiades and Ryan Voisin discuss how political choices are a crucial determinant of health for children. Danny Dorling laments that children in the UK are shorter and hungrier now than just a decade ago due to their uncaring Con government, while Buttle UK examines the realities of childhood poverty. And Oshan Jarow reports on research showing that unconditional child benefits produce massive returns on investment with time. 

- Meanwhile, Kiran Stacy discusses a new survey showing that the vast majority of UK voters are favourable toward housing construction as long as it doesn't result overburden local services - signaling that the housing crisis is just another problem which can't be solved without also ensuring people have access to basic services generally.

- Marc Lee makes the case for free public transit, while Luke Bornheimer writes about the harmful effects of making driving children to school the default mode of transportation. Byard Duncan, Ryan Gabrielson and Lucas Waldron report on the use of car loan deferments as just another way financial predators wring money out of consumers. And Andrew Hawkins reports that the US National Highway Safety Administration is only now getting around to setting safety standards for the effects of vehicles on pedestrians. 

- Colin Newlyn asks why so many employers are determined to follow the orthodoxy of dehumanizing employees even when it demonstrably produces worse outcomes. And Heather Stewart examines how workers are getting stuck in precarious work as the unpredictable and excessive demands of a current employer preclude any opportunity to find more stable jobs. 

- Finally, Josh Cohen discusses how to respond to the age of rage on a personal level. A.R. Moxon notes that the proper response to conservative division is to build a generous, caring society that won't sustain irrational anger. And Jason Sattler points out that the only way to put an end to high-stakes battles for democracy every election cycle is to build it up consistently whether or not an election is looming. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Ajit Niranjan reports on the extreme flooding in numerous cities in central Europe as a harbinger of the effect of a climate breakdown in progress. Shannon Sims reports on the similar example of Lake Charles, Louisiana, which has been battered by increasingly severe storms over the past two decades. And Chris Hatch discusses how another summer of extreme weather hasn't resulted in public engagement on the importance of climate change as an issue. 

- Syed Shams and Sudipta Bose discuss how business investment in climate policy produces superior economic performance and reduced risk. But Justin Villamil reports on BlackRock's cynical choice (in common with much of the financial sector) to feign climate concern while planning to keep shoveling funding toward dirty energy.  

- Xiaoli Li reports on the recognition by environmental groups that a narrow focus on consumer carbon pricing falls far short of the mark in developing a meaningful climate change policy - particularly when it's paired with approvals or even subsidies for fossil fuel expansion. Thomas Pedersen discusses how the Libs have undermined public support for a rebated carbon tax on a national scale, while Shannon Waters notes that what was once a multi-party consensus in B.C. has been caught in the federal crossfire. And Carl Meyer reports on the Moe government's methane policy which continues to be based on wishful thinking and non-reporting rather than actual measurements. 

- Isabel O'Brien reports on the immense gap between the carbon pollution reported by large AI data centres, and the 662% higher amount actually emitted. And Sean Patrick Cooper reports on the additional harms frequently inflicted by data centres on surrounding communities. 

- Adam King discusses how the Libs are finding new ways to undermine the right to strike - using administrative powers rather than legislation to avoid having to answer for a back-to-work bill. 

- Finally, Rose LeMay observes that "sanewashing" is as much an element of Canada's political media as the U.S.' - and that the public is ill-served when journalists try to make the likes of Pierre Poilievre sound more reasonable than they are. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Seth Wynes et al. survey climate scientists about their expectations for global climate policy - and it's telling that there's no apparent optimism about anything being accomplished until half a century down the road.

- Rickman et al. examine how banks are continuing to lend immense amounts of money for fossil fuel extraction and development - even as they know that action makes it impossible to meet the world's Paris targets. Josephine Moulds and Wil Crisp expose how Citigroup helped funnel billions to the UAE's state oil company while avoiding counting the loan against its climate commitments. And Dara Kerr reports on Elon Musk's plan to operate a massive, highly-polluting AI supercomputer in Memphis with no regard for residents who have already faced generations of environmental racism.

- Meanwhile, Zoe Kleinman discusses Stephen Fry's observation that Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have polluted the information ecosystem at least as much as any industrial operation has ever polluted the physical environment. Marc Edge argues that the developing Russian disinformation scandal could turn the tide against Pierre Poilievre and the party benefiting from Vladimir Putin's favour. And Freddy Brewster reports on J.D. Vance's plans to trash any remaining restrictions against full and unaccountable private ownership of the U.S.' political system.

- Finally, the Pandemic Acountability Index examines the gendered impacts of COVID-19, including a disproportionate burden on women already stuck with unpaid care responsibilities. And Matthew Kupfer reports on the numerous social ills caused by the federal government's decision to order employees back to their offices.

Musical interlude

Cannons - Bright Lights

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). 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- The Australian National University examines how it's possible to ensure a healthy standard of living for all of humanity within the Earth's planetary limits - but only based on a transformation of how we manage and distribute resources. And Rob Jackson and Josie Garthwaite discuss how especially-dangerous methane emissions are continuing to rise, while a belated effort to limit them is only starting to produce any observance results.

- Marc Fawcett-Atkinson reports on the federal government's decision not to regulate harmful PFAs based on heavy lobbying and polluter-funded research. 

- Robert Reich points out how Donald Trump's economic plans combine a toxic mix of corporate impunity, further concentration of wealth, and added costs for consumers. 

- Marcia Dunn discusses how space has become yet another plaything for the uber-wealthy rather than a domain for exploration and discovery. But Giri Nathan writes that there's no realistic basis for the fantasy of colonizing Mars as a substitute for caring for the Earth.

- Finally, Harrison Mooney discusses how John Rustad is looking to bring a Republican-style book purge to British Columbia. David Climenhaga compares Danielle Smith's demand that the federal government squash any form of job action by federally-regulated workers against her support for the Flu Trux Klan's violent takeover of cities and border crossings. And Colin Horgan wonders whether Pierre Poilievre's substitution of shitposting for any substantive communication will carry a price during a federal election campaign.  

Wednesday Night Cat Blogging

Clutching cat.

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Fiona Harvey reports on the G20's apparent plans to back away from even the aspiration of transitioning away from fossil fuels to preserve a liveable environment, while Perry Parks writes that journalists have a duty not to pretend that preventable climate catastrophe is a value-neutral issue. 

- Adam Morton reports on the continued disappearance of Antarctic sea ice, while the University of Reading examines how our weather is set to become more extreme over the coming decades. And Ilana Cohen and Thea Sebastian discuss the behavioural consequences of extreme heat, including a foreseeable spike in violence.  

- Luke LeBrun reports on the Russian Canadian Democratic Alliance's call for Canada's parliamentary study into foreign interference to pick up on Russia's sponsorship of the alt-right, while Max Fawcett notes that Vladimir Putin's useful idiots are readily visible and identifiable in Canadian politics and media. And Paul Willcocks takes note of the BC Conservatives' authoritarian attacks on journalists who have the gall to report on public postings and statements from their candidates and core staff. 

- Meanwhile, Maya Oppenheim discusses how misogyny has been deployed as a gateway form of hatred and discrimination to recruit men to the far right.

- Finally, Veronique Sioufi points out that the temporary foreign workers facing modern-day slavery are the victims of Canada's system which deprives them of any meaningful rights. And Kim Siever discusses the need to look beyond unionizing capitalist entities, and instead plan for collective structures to guide our economic and social decisions. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Mo Amir discusses how John Rustad is attempting to cover up his longstanding climate denial in advance of this fall's B.C. election. And Gregory Mikkelson, Arlene Slocombe and Jessica Murray plead for Canada's federal government to stop greenwashing tar sands pipelines, while Gillian Steward offers a reminder that Danielle Smith is pushing to have the rest of the country foot the bill to clean up the messes being made by unscrupulous oil operators today. 

- Pep Canadell, Marielle Saunois and Rob Jackson point out that methane emissions in particular are reaching new extremes, causing an especially large immediate effect on the Earth's climate. And Zebedee Nichols and Tim Baxter note that the short-term exacerbation of a climate breakdown can have immense long-term consequences. 

- Linda Lakhdhir points out that peaceful climate activists are being locked up with far more severe sentences than violent racists. And Bruce Campbell reminds us that workers' safety concerns are at the core of the labour job action which was terminated by the Trudeau Libs in favour of arbitration at the behest of the corporate railways. 

- Simon Wren-Lewis offers a seemingly needed reminder to UK Labour that voters turfed the Cons to preserve public services - not to gut them in the name of fiscal conservatism. And Jean Swanson discusses the problems with a B.C. "social housing" program which is designed to exclude lower-income renters. 

- Finally, Audi van den Hove reports on the decision by the European Court of Justice requiring Apple to pay back taxes rather than laundering its profits in Ireland. And the Canadian Press reports on the Federal Court of Appeal's decision finding that Facebook breached user privacy in allowing apps to scrape and commercialize personal information. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Andrew Freedman examines how the summer of 2024 is shaping up to be the hottest on record. And Jessica Corbett discusses the strong public support for holding the architects of the climate breakdown criminally accountable for the resulting damage. 

- Mike De Souza reports on the Libs' choice to shovel public money to McKinsey and Company to consult on "clean tech" while it was actively being paid to lobby on behalf of fossil fuel interests. And Drew Anderson notes that Alberta's so-called market in electricity includes massive public handouts to fossil gas plants (along with government policies which have shut down renewable energy development). 

- Meanwhile, Toula Drimonis discusses how Montreal has seen its downtown rejuvenated by the choice to prioritize people over vehicles. 

- Max Fawcett writes that Danielle Smith's war on Alberta is only getting started. Jen St. Denis notes that BC Conservatives are lashing out at any media outlets who dare to point out the myriad of close connections between their leadership and Russian-funded disinformation campaigns. And Stephen Maher warns that we're headed toward the meanest election in Canadian history. 

- Finally, Sarah Anderson discusses how the U.S.' largest low-wage employers have paid out massive shareholder benefits instead of allowing employees to share in the product of their work. And Cory Doctorow points out that stock-based compensation creates a particularly ugly incentive for CEO to prioritize the former over the latter. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Michael Savage points out the billions of pounds worth of pay and benefits being stolen from workers by UK employers every year. And The Breach reports that the same app being used to fix housing prices and gouge renters on the behalf of landlords in the U.S. is also being used by familiar landlords in Canada. 

- John Lanchester discusses the absurd amount of activity and nominal wealth based purely on financial speculation rather than the production or delivery of anything real or useful. Robert Reich notes that billionaires are looking to fund the end of democracy in the U.S. and elsewhere as they recognize that their continued accumulation of wealth and power will never stand if people have any say in the matter. And David Moscrop points out how learned helplessness from current governments has opened the door for fascist politicians to claim they can solve problems which other politicians won't. 

- On that front, Hayley Juhl writes that decades after Canada's Parliament agreed unanimously to end child poverty, its persistence and growth is leading to understandable skepticism among younger generations that the federal government is interested in their needs.

- Finally, Chris Lehmann discusses how Russian funding and direction is behind prominent MAGA influencers in the U.S. And Luke LeBrun highlights the Canadian connections (and in some cases roots) of Vladimir Putin's right-wing mouthpieces in North America.

Musical interlude

Elderbrook - Shallow Water

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. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Andrea Thompson reports on the record-breaking heat wave in the southwest U.S. as another stark example of a climate breakdown in progress. But Alex Crawford writes that while we've already done immense damage to our living environment, it isn't too late to limit how much more we inflict.  

- But Geoff Dembicki reports on how the oil industry has captured universities to ensure scientific research is aimed at perpetuating rather than ending carbon pollution, while Steve Rabey exposes Shell's funding of climate denialism through churches and propaganda mills. Jake Johnson notes that Texas has gone so far as to create a separate "business court" in order to ensure its corporate overlords are never subjected to justice. And Drew Anderson reports on the UCP's attempt to push energy regulators to lie about having been involved in Danielle Smith's decision to stop any renewable energy development. 

- Paul Willcocks points out how the business-backed B.C. Conservatives are engaged in a war against factual reporting patterned after that of U.S. Republicans. Thom Hartmann discusses how the U.S. has been overrun by bullies. And Parker Molloy laments that the U.S. media's response to being constantly trolled and gaslighted has been to "sanewash" the obviously-disqualifying utterings of Donald Trump and his acolytes. 

- Finally, Cory Doctorow points out that the same right-wing mouthpieces who constantly claim that people without resources are only lacking long-term planning and self-control are the same voices insisting that the wealthiest people can't be expected to give up a shred of instant profit or gratification to preserve a liveable society or planet. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Andrew Nikiforuk discusses the immense economic and human cost of COVID-19 denial as another wave surges. And Matthew Frank et al. study how COVID produces lasting damage to the brain. 

- Robert Booth and Emine Sinmaz report on the findings of the UK's Grenfell inquiry, which find that the tragic fire was the result of systemic corporate dishonesty and government neglect. And Mo Amir discusses how B.C.'s government is failing to implement vacancy controls even while understanding they would benefit renters.

- Meanwhile, Myriam Durocher, Annika Walsh, Irena Knezevic and Madison Hynes discuss how charity isn't enough to eradicate food insecurity. 

- Ariel Silber reports on the less-than-surprising revelation that apps are listening in on users' smartphones without notice or consent in order to profit from the contents of their conversations. And Webb Wright reports on the FTC's study into "surveillance pricing" where unspecified personal information is used to present different prices to different consumers. 

- Kea Wilson discusses how the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau are just an example of the traffic violence resulting from a transportation system designed to prioritize single-vehicle convenience over pedestrian and cyclist safety. And Coral Davenport highlights how the U.S. will need to update its infrastructure one way or another due to the use of materials which can't withstand a changed climate. 

- Finally, Susan Wright contrasts the importance of unions in social cohesion and development against the solidarity denialism of the UCP. And David Moscrop writes that the Cons and their allies remain hostile to workers - even as they try to pretend otherwise.