science

A collection of 401 posts

Coronavirus

Covid-19: Debunked - "The Great Leveller", "Strength of Character"

Emily Maitlis on Newsnight is so often on the money. Here she is for a short introductory minute telling it how it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_fi3AzfFdk There is an awful lot to be said about the language you hear in the media, those lovely soundbites

Brexit

When This Pandemic Is Over, Let's Get Back to the Habit of Made in Britain!*

*Or whatever localised version of this you may see. These sorts of memes are popping up all over the place. To many of your friends or acquaintances on social media, these may seem intuitively sensible, and not racist and isolationist at all. But the people who created these memes almost

Coronavirus

The Crazy Things Religious People Say Concerning Coronavirus

Here is a selection of insane religious ramblings in the context of coronavirus. For starters, the unbelievable (totally believable) selfishness of this woman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yXMiuZrcd4 This is a shocker; it's an interview of a pastor who I mentioned recently, and who is defying

Coronavirus

Boris Johnson in Intensive Care

The very challenging news for the British public is that our PM has just now been admitted to intensive care with coronavirus. This was perhaps predictable when, during the press briefing earlier, his acting number 2 (Dominic Raab) said that he hadn't spoken to Johnson all day. That

Church

Kenneth Copeland Showing He Is Insane

I have no words. https://youtu.be/8CMgcLO9jH4 Stay in touch! Like A Tippling Philosopher on Facebook: A Tippling Philosopher You can also buy me a cuppa. Please... It justifies me continuing to do this!

Coronavirus

Shocking: The US Military Overtly Used to Sustain Price Gouging and Profiteering.

The military has long been a way in which a government can ensure the cogs of the economy and international trade remain well oiled. I have written about this in "The Armed Forces and Their Remit, Corporations, and Morality". This si definitely something that any government involved in

Coronavirus

Coronavirus Is a "Partisan Pandemic"

I have subjected myself to listening to each and every press briefing from the White House in their entirety over the last few weeks. It is definitely a source of pain. You don't need me to repeat myself again in exasperation that people could vote for the utter

aliens

"Astronauts Talk Disclosure of Extra-Terrestrial Contact"

This video was linked to me as a friend of a friend created it, by all accounts. It's ironic as I am finally listening to Carl Sagan's A Demon-Haunted World right now that deals explicitly with this sort of claim. Disclaimer - I have not watched

Coronavirus

My Coronavirus Lightbulb Moment: It's When, Not if

This is in one sense blindingly obvious and implicitly understood, but in another sense something I only properly consciously clocked today. This piece may seem callous and uncaring: I realise I am talking abstractly about that which refers to real people and real deaths, and my intellectualisation may seem a

Coronavirus

Volunteers at New York CV Hospital Must Agree to "Statement of Faith"

According to the website of the organisation running a field hospital in New York, volunteers must agree to a pretty eyebrow-raising statement of faith: The organization that set up the coronavirus field hospital in Central Park seemingly makes volunteers agree to their faith-based code, including defining marriage "exclusively the

Coronavirus

The Cost or Value of Human Life

Coronavirus (CV) is talk of the town, affecting all of our lives. I have previously written about how the statistics are hugely important, but also somewhat unreliable. They are important because it is on these stats that public policy is based or informed. There are so many variables and unknowns

Coronavirus

Overestimating Death Rates: Comparing Fatality Rates of Coronavirus & the Flu

Fatality Rates Aren't Fixed: They Depend on What We Do Fundamentally, there is no such thing as "the" fatality rate for a virus. How likely people are to die from COVID-19 (just like many diseases) depends on whether they can get access to treatment.There is

Coronavirus

Coronavirus Chat with Andrew Hall: Philosophy, Politics & Health

Here is an interview chat I did with fellow Patheos Nonreligious blogger Andrew Hall. We touch on health, pandemics, politics (such as the Democratic primaries), psychology and philosophy in a genial chat. Let me know what you think: Check him out at his fellow Patheos blog: https://onlysky.media/ahall

Coronavirus

Teenager Dies from Covid-19 Due to Being Medically Uninsured (& Updates)

My opinion is that the US healthcare system is a crime. And this story doesn't particularly change my opinion: A Los Angeles boy who is believed to be the first teenager in the United States to die from complications due to Covid-19 was denied treatment at an urgent

Coronavirus

Comparison: Flu vs Coronavirus

This is from Live Science and reflects figures from March 25th. I am posting this in answer to those such as See Noevo who, despite apparently having the ability to read, appear not to want to exercise that skill. Hope springs eternal. The point could be a decent one, and

Coronavirus

Bolsonaro, Brazil's Trump, Appears to Have Coronavirus

Twenty of a party travelling with Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's Trump, have come down with Covid-19. Now, it appears, there is a cover-up of tests to show that Bolsonaro has the infection (as does the first lady). This is somewhat ironic since he has claimed the whole thing is

Coronavirus

Coronavirus Open Discussion

I have been asked to provide a space for my erudite and often superbly geeky (in a good and welcome way) readers to discuss stats and questions concerning coronavirus in order for other readers to answer the and learn by the interesting threads. In a day when the US has

Coronavirus

News, A Timeline of Lies & Virus Naming Provenance (Again)

This is Trump's timeline of lies that I would like to see his various supporters here...support: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch7_t2Ri2Zg Still on the old naming controversy of "Chinese virus" etc., these quotes from 3lemenope are super: Names are purely contingent. Whatever

Coronavirus

2015: WHO issues best practices for naming new human infectious diseases

I want to put this argument to bed. I've had a lot of right-wing, libertariany commenters spouting absolute nonsense that I hardly think they believe themselves. I just don't think they're very nice. Anyway, the point that Republicans have just started calling it (as

Coronavirus

Thought for the Day: Bad Coronavirus Stats and Bad Thoughts

If you are anything like me, you are checking local and global coronavirus stats because...stats. And wanting to make sure that all of the many reactions, policies and activities of governments, institutions and organisations are warranted and in line with the data. Here is how my mind has worked.

science

There's Nobody Better at Bipartisanship than Donald Trump

That press conference was BAD. And there have been some really bad ones recently. I'm not sure I can take much more hypocrisy and lies. https://youtu.be/px3K9MAxVxQ

Coronavirus

Coronavirus Overreaction?

In the UK, we have just had our schools shut down (to be repurposed as "babysitting" facilities for key works, looked-after children and those with EHCPs [Educational Health Care Plans]). In other words, without being too far from a lockdown, things have just got serious. As they have

Coronavirus

"Socialism Is Evil"; Yeah, Not a Good Time to Be a Libertarian...

Socialism is evil! Venezuela! Communism! CORONAVIRUS... Government, please bail us out! Please help us! Let's work together to make sure of this and of that... Let's nationalise private healthcare provision in the short term... Let's...Let's... I've heard assaults democratic

Coronavirus

Republicans Tried to Camouflage Abortion Regulation within Coronavirus Bill

Crafty beggars. And pretty disingenuous. This leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Meant to post this some days back. This is from Vice: As lawmakers neared a deal on a coronavirus rescue package that would include paid sick leave and free virus testing, a few roadblocks emerged. Among them:

Coronavirus

Working for World Solidarity, Trump Seeks Exclusive Rights to Vaccine

Yes, it's that time of day again. There's so much I could talk about today, but this one gets top billing. Sorry to be a stuck record, but this takes the biscuit. It's at times like these, with a global crisis in the form