Promoters of the Alberta tar sands suggest customers for the product almost have a moral obligation to buy it. Their term is “ethical oil.” We hear the refrain from an assortment of politicians, journalists and business executives, chief among them Alberta premier Jason Kenney. The oil of many of our
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Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Eric Topol describes how COVID-19’s infectiousness has been steadily increasing with time even as so many governments have gone out of their way to declare it to be over, while Reuters reports on new research showing that the Omicron variant is no
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Charlie Smith highlights how attempts to minimize the ongoing pandemic have reduced the public credibility of both government and public health officials alike in British Columbia (even as they’ve provided a messaging boost to anti-vaxxers). Nam Kiwanuka laments how parents have been
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Umair Haque reminds us that the COVID pandemic is far from over, while Julie Bosman, Amy Harmon and Albert Sun discuss the escalating U.S. death toll which now includes one of every hundred Americans over 65. Will Stone, Jesse Bloom and Sarah Cobey, and Carl
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Deborah Gleeson discusses how inequality in vaccine availability is making new variants an inevitability, while Joseph Stiglitz and Lori Wallach write that an intellectual property waiver is a must to ensure vaccines are available around the globe. And Rachel Cohen warns that
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Stephanie Nolen examines (PDF) some of the inequality revealed and exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Bonnie Allen reports on the tragic story of a Yorkton woman who died as a result of neglect and misinformation. Nancy Lapid points out the health risks
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content for your Friday reading. – Emma Buchanan writes about the restrictions on media access that have resulted in people being poorly informed about the damage done by COVID-19. Meredith Wadman reports on new research showing that the increased infectiousness of the Delta variant is the result of its
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Thomas Saunders discusses how COVID-19 transmission through schools is resulting in effectively a separate epidemic among children and parents. Kathy Eagar offers a reminder of the dangers of recklessly discarding public health measures rather than taking care to make sure that reopening is
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Tom Parkin calls out Jason Kenney’s defence of genocide and its architects in an attempt to keep his party’s white supremacist base onside. And PressProgress notes that Kenney’s insistence on turning an in-person Stampede into the greatest summer outbreak ever has large
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: All hands on deck to rig the oil market
The oil industry and the free market are not well acquainted. The price of oil has long been manipulated more by cartels than by free markets. Since the 1970s, the manipulator in chief has been the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its collaborators (OPEC+). The recent collapse in
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – David Graeber wrote (just before his death) about the need to do more than default back to an unacceptable “normal” once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control. – Arthur White-Crummey and Lynn Giebrecht have been writing a series of stories on the longstanding
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Gabrielle Drolet discusses how essential workers have been left to bear the physical and emotional burdens of workplaces designed to prioritize the interests of bosses and customers first. And Bruce Western and Jake Rosenfeld study (PDF) the effect unions have in pushing
Continue readingThings Are Good: This Indigenous-Owned Solar Installation Near the Tar Sands Shows the Future
The province of Alberta is likely best known internationally for its world-destroying tar sands, but in the province there’s a push by citizens to create a sustainable economy. On the north end of the tar sands exists a new solar installation owned by local indigenous groups. The installation functions first
Continue readingThings Are Good: The Importance of Mapping Fossil Fuel Companies
The Corporate Mapping Project in Canada tries to connect the dots between corporations, organizations, and governmental bodies in regards to the oil and gas industry. Despite all evidence that the tar sands are horrible for the planet the Canadian taxpayer continues to subsidize the fossil fuel industry. Why? That the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Don Pittis discusses how the spread of modern monetary theory is challenging some stale assumptions about government budgeting. And Sarath Peiris highlights how the Saskatchewan Party’s plans for severe austerity are utterly unworkable without the federal government riding to the rescue of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Evening Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Jim Stanford discusses the need to ensure corporations pay their fair share for the social infrastructure which allows them to thrive. – Jennifer Garrison writes about the gender imbalance in Alberta’s back-to-school plan. And Heather Scoffield highlights how Justin Trudeau’s prorogation of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Ed Yong examines how the coronavirus has been allowed to run rampant in the U.S. And the Globe and Mail’s editorial board warns that we can’t have much confidence that Canada is prepared to deal with pandemics either. – Paul Krugman discusses how
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Evening Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Thomas Powell makes the case for ensuring that families are able to maintain connections to loved ones in long-term care as part of our rules governing the COVID-19 pandemic. And Karen Wang argues that we need a national mask requirement in place
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Evening Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Sarah Hansen reports on new research showing that the U.S. could save 5% of its GDP merely by imposing a mask mandate during the coronavirus pandemic. (And it’s particularly worth noting how that economic impact from a single, simple step to improve public
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to start your week. – Jonathan Watts reports on new research showing that even existing worst-case scenarios may underestimate the severity of the climate crisis. Anna Kanduth and Justin Leroux write about the need to start developing policy based on carbon stocks or budgets, rather than single-year flows
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