Antivaccination Hysteria – Dangerous Evangelising Ignorance
I have always regarded the anti-vax movement as either bafflingly stupid or deliberately malicious. Perhaps that is not entirely fair. Some parents genuinely believe their children suffered serious adverse effects as a consequence of being vaccinated. In vanishingly rare instances they may be right. And some anti-vax propaganda is glossy and convincing. I remember the …
Black Lives Matter. Just not to BLM.
Sometimes it is not only reasonable, but morally imperative, to point out that the lives of a particular group of people matter. It would have been right in Turkey in 1915 to shout as loudly as possible that Armenian lives mattered. In Germany in 1944 that Jewish lives mattered. Or today in South Africa that …
COVID19, Wuhan, Coronavirus, the Chinese Virus – the case for a Lockdown
As at this morning, 1st April, there have been 855,941 cases of novel Coronavirus around the world. Of those, 636,964 are still active, and 218,977 have run their course either to recovery or death. Of these, 42,069 (19%) ended with the death of the patient. The infectiousness of this disease, combined with this frighteningly high …
On the Vilification of Prime Minister Scott Morrison
There has always been an unpleasant edge to public discussion of politics. It is much easier to vilify people who see things differently from you, than to engage with them and to see this engagement as an opportunity to learn. The rise of Facebook and Twitter have exacerbated this tendency to personal insult and hasty …
Outer Worlds Review – Tips
Woah, woah, woah! It’s Rizzo’s! That is stuck in my brain now, along with “Fruity oaty bars, they make a man out of a mou-ouse!” Never mind. I started playing Outer Worlds on the day of its release. I finished it last night. By “finished” I mean I got all the companions, completed all the …
Australia, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press
The free flow of information is a vital characteristic of a free society. There is a strong correlation between freedom of speech and a free press, and individual freedom and prosperity. But the “public’s right to know” has never been without limits. For example, the public has no right to know the content of your …
Cardinal Pell. The Appeal.
I have so far refrained from any comment on the outcome of Cardinal Pell’s appeal. To say I was disappointed with the outcome would be an understatement. I have written extensively about this case here: and here: The prosecution case was based entirely on the evidence of a single person, some twenty years after the …
Cardinal Pell – The Media and Judiciary’s Disgrace
I have been frustrated by news stories today suggesting that “disgraced” Cardinal George Pell has broken the law by posting material to social media. Firstly, Cardinal Pell is not “disgraced.” It is the media and the Australian judicial system which are disgraced by the verdict against him, which was based on the evidence of a …
Fear, Faith and Folau
Freedom of speech is an essential characteristic of any successful society. If people are not free to say what they believe, there can be no testing of ideas against each other and against reality. Without that, there can be no progress in science, in art, in literature, in education, in society and policy. But the …
ITP, Parkinsons, Levodopa
A friend in her late fifties developed Parkinson’s type symptoms; bradykinesia, rest tremor, forward falls, speech difficulties, some twelve months ago. The disease progressed rapidly to the point she is no longer able to work. Difficulties in accessing good neurological services mean that she has not yet had a full diagnostic review. Her GP prescribed …
The Deletion of Faith
I was very pleased today to see the Google doodle commemorating the life and achievements of Elena Cornaro Piscopia, who lived from 1646 to 1684, and who in 1678 was the first woman in the world to receive a PhD from any university. I was less pleased to see no reference in the doodle to …
Israel Folau and the Hateful Intolerance of the Lovingly Inclusive
A few days ago, rugby player and Wallabies team member Israel Folau posted a quote from 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 10 on Twitter and Instagram. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce immediately claimed this was homophobic, and threatened to withdraw Qantas’s sponsorship of the ARU unless Folau’s contract was terminated. The ARU caved instantly: “We want to …
Christchurch Terror
It is important to try to understand the mass murder in Christchurch, but it is just too early to make any sound or meaningful assessment. Despite the manifesto, we do not know enough about Tarrant’s background and thoughts, and we know nothing about any of the others who may have been involved. That hasn’t stopped …
The Climate Youth Brigade
The history of the twentieth century is replete with radical groups scaring children about the future they are to inherit, and encouraging them to take to the streets to shout slogans they did not understand, to denounce their parents, and to demand political changes they could not comprehend. It is not a happy company. The …
Cardinal Pell Sentenced
On March 13th, Cardinal George Pell was sentenced to six years jail on charges of child sexual abuse. He will be eligible for parole in three years and eight months. Some people have pounced on comments at sentencing made by Pell’s defence team, suggesting that these were admission of guilt. This is not the case. …
Qohel Blog Author Peter Wales
