Australian stuff Is creationism about to be taught in Queensland? 31 May 201018 Sep 2017 PZ Mistletoe, under whom atheists get to kiss each other, has accused my home base state Queensland* of introducing creationism into high schools. However, what he is responding to, in the Murdoch press (never a good source of information) is a national draft curriculum for all Australian schools, so it… Continue Reading
Australian stuff Bees on coke 2 Apr 2010 Isn’t this just the funniest fucking thing you’ve ever read?! Continue Reading
Australian stuff On rednecking 2 Apr 2010 A comedian known for his scatological and iconoclastic humour calls Australians “basically English rednecks”, offending three ethnic and regional groups in one go. I watched this and laughed. It was very funny. But a prime minister, who is so uptight only dogs can hear when he farts, takes umbrage, and… Continue Reading
Australian stuff The policy policy 4 Mar 2010 Australian Prime Minister for the Obvious has said that there should be a “zero tolerance” policy against bullying. In other news, a 13 year old Victorian girl who held a kitchen knife to the throat of a 12 year old girl – allegedly – is not to be charged by… Continue Reading
Australian stuff Come to Australia and learn to handle venomous snakes 14 Oct 2009 We like to joke with visitors about the venomous wildlife in Australia. I mean we even have a venomous mammal (well, sort of mammal). But as we have 20 of the world’s top 25 venomous snakes, we sometimes need to teach snake handling for the workplace. And somebody posed a… Continue Reading
Australian stuff Ooooohhhh, nude dinosaurs…. 14 Sep 2009 Residents of the tiny town Muttaburra, in Queensland’s central west, have bared all for a calendar shoot. The town’s Community Development Association is raising money for an ambulance defibrillator and the local school, and came up with the idea for a “slightly risque” calendar. Muttaburra is famous for the Muttaburrasaurus… Continue Reading
Australian stuff Musgrave on vaccine denialism 4 Sep 2009 Ian Musgrave has a smackdown of the false claims and, let’s face it, criminal lies by the antivaxxers in Australia here. Since Ian always knows whereof he speaks, it is a useful and educational post. About a decade ago, a medical researcher at the place I worked, who also practised… Continue Reading
Australian stuff On preventive censorship versus punishment 2 Sep 2009 In the last few years, there has been an increasing tendency of so-called democratic governments to increase the amount of control they have over their population, under the guise of various “emergencies”: terrorism, child pornography and of course a slightly more honest concern over property rights. Just today, the Australian… Continue Reading
Australian stuff Cui bono? Health scammers 20 Aug 2009 An old legal principle in assigning guilt is the one that goes by the latinate title cui bono? Who benefits? As Deep Throat said, “follow the money”. So, ask yourself: who benefits from a broken American healthcare system, in which even those who are insured are prevented from receiving effective… Continue Reading