Coming out of the Silicon Valley libertarian sphere, Effective Altrusim is basically little more than 1980s era Reaganomics with a side order of philanthropy to paper over the rotting stench of unmitigated greed. For many people, their first exposure to it probably comes from the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried. Broadly
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Accidental Deliberations: Musical interlude
Lisa Miskovsky – Still Alive
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Assorted content to end your week. – Adam Bienkov highlights the evidence from the UK’s COVID-19 inquiry which has demonstrated the utter neglect for public health from Boris Johnson and the political system around him, while Andrew Nikiforuk offers a reminder that the pandemic is still roiling around us. And Tinker
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Bryan Harris, Steve Bernard and Chris Campbell discuss the danger that a drying Amazon rain forest will accelerate the climate breakdown. – Jordan Omstead reports on Canada’s place of shame as one of the countries looking to increas carbon pollution in the
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Restructuring AHS – The Wrong Way
I was never particularly impressed with the AHS “Superboard” concept that was instituted in 2009 – it got some thing right (like centralizing procurement), but it also had the effect of gutting the ability for the system to respond to local needs. It effectively turned major decisions into political fodder
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Ajit Niranjan reports on the Copernicus Climate Change Service’s findings that 2023 is on pace to be the hottest year on record, with October’s temperatures at 1.7 degrees above the pre-industrial level. – Damian Carrington highlights a UN report warning of the destructive insistence of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Peter Zimonjic reports on the latest audit from the federal environment commissioner showing that Canada is falling far short of meeting its greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments. And Brendan Haley discusses how a focus on a transition to heat pumps could provide
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to start your week. – Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon reports on the less-than-surprising revelation from New Brunswick’s departing chief medical officer of health that political preferences were a major factor in COVID-19 decision-making. And Liz highlights how the rich, powerful and well-connected are still insisting on COVID precautions to avoid
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: The UCP Goes "Hold My Beer" To The CPC
Author's Note: I started writing something about the UCP's policy resolutions in October, but it seemed redundant. Now that the UCP has held their AGM, and these have been voted on, it's time to take a look at the shape of the party that results from it. In September, the
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Stoto – Nostalgia
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Alex Himelfarb reviews Quinn Slobodian’s Crack-Up Capitalism as a valuable account of the myths and rationalizations underlying the propagation of inequality to serve the uber-rich. Cory Doctorow highlights how the attack on Social Security by Republicans and their donors represents a form of class
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Israel/Palestine; Russia/Ukraine – The Politics of War
One of the key features of war in the modern era is the need to demonize the “other” in order to create a justification for military action. In the Russia/Ukraine war, Putin has claimed that Ukraine is being taken over by “Nazis”. There is a carefully cultivated “grain of truth”
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Jingwei Li et al. offer an update on the current state of knowledge surrounding long COVID, including the need for far more work dealing with its wide range of harmful effects. Kavita Bajeli-Datt reports on a new survey from India finding an
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Some Thoughts on the SBF / FTX Trial
I’m something of a “crypto skeptic”. I don’t necessarily accept as valid the idea that cryptocurrency is a natural replacement for state controlled fiat currencies, or that Blockchain and its associated constructs such as crypto “wallets” are in fact as inviolable as claimed. When FTX collapsed so spectacularly in 2022,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Larry Patriquin reviews Nancy Fraser’s Cannibal Capitalism, with a focus on explaining how we’ve been pushed into a system based on squeezing people and the planet alike in the name of greed. And Cory Doctorow discusses the six categories of corporate bullshit used to
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Derek Lynch writes about the need to recognize that humanity isn’t separate from the living environment it needs to survive. Eric Ralls points out how the climate breakdown and dwindling biodiversity are part of the same crisis. And Katie Surma highlights how climate
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Speculation: Gaza Outcomes
Recently, articles have begun circulating which state that Israel has no plan for Gaza after their military operations cease. To the extent that Israel hasn’t stated what its plans are beyond the immediate military operations, this is true enough. I think that this is a horribly naive way of assessing
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Musical interlude
Flight Facilities feat. Jess – Foreign Language
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