Makes sense to me. I was at my most sedentary during the pandemic. That sedentariness kind of became a new normal. I’m still trying to change that

BMI isn’t a valid indicator of health for (young) people with lots of muscle mass from weight training (e.g., competitive athletes). Those people are a relatively small group in society, however. BMI is a somewhat valid indicator of health for most members of society, which makes it a reasonable population health metric. It has its drawbacks and there’s plenty of nuances to argue about but it’s very easy to use, and that handiness earns it its popularity

Yes. Beaverton is the Canadian version of the Onion

Fair. But it is ‘just’ journalism. This isn’t an opposition party press release

I edited it per your suggestion. I appreciate the feedback

Our current political climate of the Carney Liberals, PP, and weakened NDP reminds me a lot of the US two-party system that only benefits the uber wealthy. I really hope we don’t continue down that path.

I don’t see the Liberals changing course, unfortunately. (The Carney Liberals feel a lot different from the Trudeau Liberals.) I think corporate-owned news and social media keep pushing people to the right. So, the Liberals can make a strategic argument to right-shift to try and steal Conservative voters (and appease corporate donors) while taking most left-of-centre voters for granted as ABC (anyone but Conservative) voters who’ll still vote for them as the party drifts right. Their future slogan: at least we’re not the CPC.

It seems like it’s up to the NDP to save Canadian politics from becoming a big-money scheme like south of the border and give working class people a voice in parliament again. My gosh do I wish they find a Zohran Mamdani or someone who can reinvigorate the party.

I’ve seen this go far enough after 6 months or so of Carney. I hope he redeems himself in the eyes of working class Canadians, but I am not betting on it. I think this is closer to how he’ll govern (like a US moderate Democrat) than the “elbows up” nationalism he advertised himself as.

(edited to add paragraphs)

With COP30 climate negotiations coming up later this year in Belém, Brazil, “this will hamstring international climate cooperation at the worst possible time,” one official told Politico. It’s “just strategically fucking dumb when it comes to China,” they added, creating a leadership vacuum that China could fill (as they’ve consistently said they would).

But that doesn’t mean Canada or other countries can walk back their climate commitments, says David Crane, former economics editor at the Toronto Star, in a post for The Hill Times. “When the history of this era is written, it will be the Trump administration’s reckless undermining of urgent global efforts to address climate change that will stand out as one of its greatest failings,” Crane writes. At some point, “the U.S. will again become a ‘responsible stakeholder’. But in the meantime, its failure to assume responsibility is no excuse for Canada or any other country to slack off. The climate challenge cannot be put off to tomorrow. It is an urgent challenge for today.”

At some point, “the U.S. will again become a ‘responsible stakeholder’.

I hope so. I hope that happens before other countries join them as ‘irresponsible stakeholders’

Wow, this is big. I mean, I didn’t think things were going to get any more affordable, but this deepens my belief in that prediction quite a bit. “Over 50% by 2035” sounds like a fiefdom, because people got a lot more bills than rent/housing - or at least that’s my oldthink perspective lol. It’s also sobering that this report was published in June and failed, insofar as I know, to make any splash in any Canadian mainstream news. I’m grateful for the Fediverse

This is not a Canadian-controlled paper, it is owned by Republican-linked US private equity (Postmedia). MAGA-like biases are pretty evident in the title and summary

I feel there is a big distance between piss poor and wrong (as in incorrect).

I agree with you that experts - or people with relevant experience - can be incorrect.

My commenting in this thread didn’t hit its mark. I saw comments that I thought were unreasonably rejecting of a legitimate perspective from someone with credentials on the matter. Maybe it triggered me about today’s anti-knowledge climate (e.g., anti-vaxx). Oh well, live and learn

Given the ridiculous freedom of (undeserved) reach that characterizes society today (e.g., all the MAGA assholes on twitter, the non-news that mainstream media has regressed to), I’m grateful to the Guardian for publishing an opinion piece from a very qualified expert. I don’t think someone needs to be a fan to value the timely opinion of a Nobel Laureate in economics on a very important and scary global economics trend. Can we fully account for the effects of Carney’s decision a month later, of course not, that’d be absurd. But too soon to hear an expert weigh in, not just about Canada but more broadly? I don’t follow that logic at all

In case you’re unaware, you’re accusing a Nobel Laureate in economics of piss poor journalism

Reminder: Calgary Herald is owned by Postmedia, which is owned by Republican-linked American private equity. Regard Postmedia articles with immense suspicion. To say they don’t represent Canadians’ interests is an understatement.

Incredibly well said about corporate harms, thank you!

Thanks! I corrected it

To save some a click (as time-saving; I don’t have anything against the Guardian): no ideological basis other than “anti-government” has been revealed by the RCMP.

These companies have also devastated local news media markets, peddle propaganda and disinformation in our societies which they claim is not their job to moderate, through their investments in AI are poised to become some of the biggest polluters, and many of them profit a lot from the ongoing genocide in occupied Palestine which is being used as a warfare and AI training lab

I agree with the Nobel Laureate in economics, Joseph E Stiglitz, who wrote this.

Of course, when the most profitable companies in the world don’t pay their fair share of taxes, it just shifts the burden on to others.

Apple was so successful in avoiding taxes in Europe that it is estimated that it paid in some years a tax of just 0.005% on its European profits.

Our (Lib under Trudeau) government banned TikTok to appease the US after they did the same under Biden. But Trump has since nullified the TikTok ban in the US. Why are we still going through with this? As a nice gift to the US tech oligarch (after we backtracked the Digital Services Tax on them)? Is the platform too leftwing for the government’s liking?

Thanks for the rec!