Articles from THE BLOT REPORT
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Back from the dead
Back in early 1992, I travelled to what remained of the USSR (or CIS, or whatever it was called at the time), on an exchange program between governments: a Russian colleague had come to Australia to work with us in 1990. 1992 was after the USSR fell apart and Boris Yeltsin had become president, the first popularly elected leader in Russia’s entire history1.
The shingle vaccine’s other benefits
As I mentioned in a previous article here, it is clear that some chronic diseases are at least in part caused by infectious agents such as viruses or bacteria1. One major group of chronic diseases in the modern world is that of dementia. There are numerous types, with three of the most common being Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)2.
The kissing disease and multiple sclerosis
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), also known as human herpesvirus 4, is the primary cause of the infectious mononucleosis, which is also known as glandular fever. Back when I was a kid, it was commonly known as the kissing disease, because it is transmitted through saliva. It is most common among high school and university aged students, but young children can also become infected by saliva on toys, shared cups or the hands of carers.
They know, but do nothing
While all countries have politicians and members of the general populace who seem to be ignorant of the world beyond their borders, this malaise seems to be worse in the United States than in most other western democracies. I initially suspected that this was because in 1994 only 10% of adult Americans had passports. However, by 2003, this had reached 20% and by 2017 had reached 42%1. It is now about 56%2.
Canberra to Queanbeyan via Florida
Another moderate Liberal, Senator Marise Payne has resigned from parliament, effective at the end of September, after 26 years in parliament1. Her exit is symptomatic of the malaise affecting the Liberal Party ever since Howard became Prime Minister, and which has taken on a new evangelical urgency in recent years. The Party has become a haven for religious nutters, cookers and bigots, such that moderates like Payne are leaving the party and, in many cases, parliament2.
Irresponsible citizenship
A week or so ago, I wrote an article about the organisation with the bogus name, the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) which is fronted by the spiv Jordan Peterson. To get an idea of the main concerns of this organisation, all you have to do is look at the people on the advisory board1. While they appear to be a disparate group, they do have many things in common.
Another bullshit artist and bullshit name
Jordan B. Peterson is a celebrity Canadian psychologist who has written a couple of best seller self-help books, rising from relative obscurity in 2016.
The stupidity of denialism
Geology, also known as ‘geoscience’ or ‘Earth science’, is the study of the structure, evolution and dynamics of the Earth and its natural mineral and energy resources. Geology investigates the processes that have shaped the Earth through its approximately 4600 million year history and uses the rock record to unravel that history1.
Speaking of religious fruitcakes
Republican Trumpette, Mike Johnson, has been elected speaker of the US House of Representatives as the fourth candidate since Kevin McCarthy was ejected by a group of far-right representatives in his own partyearlier this month1. Johnson is a religious nutter. Prior to being elected to this position, he was almost unknown federally2.