Side effects only matter if the person suffering them is healthy

At least, that is what this paragraph in this Guardian article would seem to suggest: Another piece of good news is that the gel appeared to cause few if any side-effects, which is extremely important because it will be used by women who are healthy. SRSLY?

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Discrimination is only discrimination if you end up being sacked

So says Dr Rex Simmons. Well, that’s how I interpret the linked article, anyway. I acknowledge that I haven’t read the study itself, and the newspaper article might be misrepresenting that study. However, I find some of the direct quotes from Dr Simmons somewhat, well, problematic. Let’s take a look.

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Malcolm Fraser – making a political comeback?

Ok, the post title is snarky, but Fraser does seem to be getting his name in lights a bit lately [warning: there is a video that starts 5 seconds after you load the linked site]. As well as his resignation from the Liberal Party, he was on Q&A on Monday, for which there is a [...]

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An appropriate malapropism?

There’s an interesting article in the Guardian today about a report which demonstrates a 17 year gap in the ‘disability-free life expectancy’ of the withs and withouts in the UK. That’s an enormous gap! This quote caught my eye: The report says the conditions in which people are born, live, work and age, shape their [...]

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“Natural” does not equal “safe” or “good for you”

Something I find frustrating sometimes is the idea that, if something is “natural”, it is safe and good for you. (And don’t get me started on the “no chemicals” thing!) It is an especially dangerous trope in the field of herbal medicine. You don’t have to go much further than “deadly nightshade is natural” to [...]

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Does not compute

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald today states that a healthy diet will cost a “typical” welfare-dependent family of four approximately 40% of their average income. This, presumably, is a bad thing, because 40% is a significant proportion. A large chunk of the rest would probably be covering your accommodation. You’re not left with [...]

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Quickhit: And here I was, thinking the use of the term “deathfatz” was ironic…

Headline: “How lethal is your load?”. Subhead: “Even skinny people may be carrying a mother lode of toxic fat”. It’s the DEATHFATZ! FOR REALZ! The article seems incredibly confused over the issue of good fat vs bad fat. For example, the journo seems to have understood that fat in certain locations is a better indicator [...]

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How immoral to acknowledge to kids that yes, sex happens

This post is inspired to some extent by Wildly Parenthetical’s post on sex ed – although I’ve thought for a very long time that sex ed should be a normal part of education generally (from a young age). I don’t know the best way to integrate it (but then, I’m not a teacher). However, I [...]

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