church interior

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In the US, we are seeing the continuing power grab by extreme Christian Republicans in the recent IVF ruling by the Supreme Court of Alabama. This forms part of an anti-science trend happening within conservative movements, which first came to prominence during the Covid pandemic in America. People clinging to their beliefs in a Bronze Age God rather than following 21C scientific public health protocols. The GOP mined this protest against such things as vaccinations and mask wearing as grist for their politics of grievance. The US Supreme Courts discounting of Roe vs Wade has opened the door for more extreme demands by state based Republicans on the issue of women’s rights vs that of unborn foetuses.Continue Reading

Sticky

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As I sit here heading into another Covid lockdown, this time from the Delta variant, I ponder about our future. Will Covid Sars-2 prove to be our dinosaur extinction moment? Will the Homo sapien’s story end here at the hands of a virus. Perhaps a virus engineered in a laboratory in Wuhan, China, which was funded by American corporate interests. It all sounds like a scenario drawn from the pages of an airport bookstore thriller. However, over 4 million people have lost their lives from this pandemic and deaths are not slowing up anytime soon.Continue Reading

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One of the most striking things I have observed during this global pandemic is how dependent we, as a 21C civilisation, have become on recreational activities. The absence of sports on the TV and from the daily calendar has left a gaping hole in the lives of many. Likewise, the removal of live entertainment and other shared recreational pursuits has reduced our lives in a number of noticeable ways. The majority of affected people are watchers of sport, rather than actual participants of games of sports. The disappearance of the football codes, the cancellation and postponement of major events like Wimbledon, the Masters, the Olympics, Grand Prix races, and more have shrunk the worlds of millions of fans around the globe. It is clear that you don’t know what you have until it is taken away. The price of sport and other non-essential activities at a time of COVID crisis seems unimaginably high.Continue Reading

Trump should be in jail

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Life on planet Earth emerged single celled some 4 billion years ago. Organic molecules formed under a blanket of hydrogen. RNA arose prior to the later evolution of DNA and the proteins necessary for catalysing life. The latest theory posits that an ancient cataclysm may have jump-started life on earth, perhaps a giant meteor struck the earth. This collision has delivered the precious metals, which are sown within the earth’s veneer, according to geologists. Water would have formed on the planet’s surface within some 50 million years of the fateful collision. Water to host the genesis of organic chemical reactions capable of the creation of RNA. Since that kicking off point, life on Gaia has come a long way and now boasts nearly 8 billion Homo sapiens. Although the COVID-19 coronavirus global pandemic is doing its best to trim that figure. The history of this planet is thick with brutal manifestations of violent stupidity in the form of armed conflicts and holocausts. It is clear, however, that in the face of this novel viral menace the world can no longer afford stupid people.Continue Reading

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Wowsers and control freaks are crawling out from behind the couch like never before, during this coronavirus global pandemic. The idea of being able to censor and limit the behaviour of human beings en masse appeals to certain sections of our society. The latest hobby horse is the reported increase in alcohol sales in Australia during this COVID-19 crisis. The ABC reported that health advocates are urging the government to crack down on alcohol sales. So called experts are bobbing up like bath toys in a full tub with suggested policies for limiting the sales of alcohol across the board. Brandishing the risk to vulnerable members of the community from alcohol fuelled domestic violence, these talking heads want strict controls on the quantity of booze sold to individual customers during this crisis. These wowsers’ warnings wave a wet blanket over alcohol sales during the crisis and we should all beware.Continue Reading

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Listening to state premiers declare to interstate and overseas visitors, “We don’t want you!” I can’t help think that these bold statements ring with a rare truthfulness in the mouths of these politicians. Parochial Australians have had to grow up embracing tourism in order for their nation’s economy to flourish but deep down I suspect they would rather tell all, “to go and fuck off!” COVID-19 the pandemic has given all and sundry a chance to indulge their xenophobia. Donald Trump called this coronavirus the “Chinese virus” and we all know how well such statements play to his supporters in the United States. Closing borders and states of emergency bring out deep rooted racist attitudes in many citizens, as they seek to blame someone for their troubles. Anxiety breeds panic, just, have a look at the supermarket shelves across Australia. The message really is – COVID-19 we don’t want you!Continue Reading

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In the face of the COVID19 pandemic the world will turn online to escape the effects of the coronavirus. Our real world of fleshly pursuits is unsafe, with thousands dying from the virus and hundreds of thousands becoming infected. Digital viruses seem a much less risky possibility in 2020. Social distancing is demanding that people stay at home and those flickering screens have never looked more inviting. Social media beckons as the only safe way to engage with your fellow human being. Even online trolls are, seemingly, more attractive than the looming shadow of the grim reaper in this novel plague year.Continue Reading

A doctor administering an intramuscular immunization to a middle–aged woman. Original image sourced from US Government department: Public Health Image Library, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Under US law this image is copyright free, please credit the government department whenever you can”.

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Your daily dose of the virus. COVID19 continues to roll out and over countries across the globe. The pandemic of this novel coronavirus is affecting human beings everywhere. Older people are in fear for their lives and thousands are dead or dying. Australia is facing the largest levels of unemployment in more than 80 years. Lines of desperate people snake outside the doors of Centrelink offices and down streets, as they wait their turn to get welfare. Businesses have been forced to close their doors, including gyms, pubs, cafes, libraries, cinemas, clubs and restaurants. Tens of thousands of casual staff have been let go with immediate effect. The world is suddenly a very different place. We are all being dispensed with our daily dose of the virus news, which is in fact updating hourly. Continue Reading