2024

Masks, lock-downs, and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic were about reducing risk. Research comparing locations where these measures were introduced and where there were high levels of compliance with locations where they were not, shows…

Here’s a hint: they don’t have any. It is impossible to keep up with the endless stream of malicious medical misinformation that is posted and reposted on social media. Malicious because giving people false medical advice,…

I purchased a new Baumr-AG snipper brushcutter. It would not start. I did eventually get it working, with no help from the seller. Review below, with some hints on what to check. These are cheap, poor…

I am currently reading through Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike mystery series. They are well-written, with engaging characters and great character development, and complex and interesting plots. One of the nice features of these books is that…

As an example of unchecked, critical thinking lacking, zero investigation passing on of misinformation, consider the recent explosion of posts and memes about bovine feed supplement Bovaer. Before I start on Bovaer specifically, I must reiterate…

I keep seeing a meme which claims Stanley Milgram found that 80% of the population does not have the moral courage to stand against the crowd, but will follow rules regardless. This claim is usually accompanied…

Blue zones, places where a high proportion of people who live to be over 100 years of age, have been examined and analysed for variations in diet, level of education, physical activity, proximity to water, trees,…

King Randall (if you haven’t heard of him, look him up) conducted a social experiment by posting two videos. In one video, he said he would vote for Kamala, and in the other, he said he…

Apropos of nothing in particular. Just an interesting read. Something unthinkable happened during the summer of 1718. Edward Teach, the infamous pirate known as Blackbeard, decided to give up piracy—at least ostensibly—in exchange for a royal…

A week ago, eight weeks before President-elect Trump is due to take over, President Biden approved the firing of US ballistic missiles deep into Russia. Two days ago, the first of those missiles was fired at…

I have just added an archive page which contains links to all previous posts, sorted by year since Qohel started in 2008. Qohel Archive

Anti-vaccination propaganda kills. In just three and half months, up to January 2020, there were 5700 cases of measles in Samoa. Nearly two thousand people had to be admitted to hospital. Eighty-three people died. Almost all…

If the Palestinian cause is just, why is every argument in favour of it a lie? Lie 1.    Israel is an apartheid regime. This charge is especially misplaced because apartheid involves race. Israel is the only…

Does astrology work? Does the position of celestial bodies at the time of our birth say anything about our intelligence, personality, relationships, or how our life will unfold? Short answer: NO Long answer: Also NO In…

I regularly see posts or comments on social media claiming mRNA vaccines are not vaccines but gene therapy. Here’s why this is not so. A vaccine is a biological preparation that primes the immune system to…