Good to see Weird Al still out there: … [Read more...]
Enjoy A Day Of Paraskevidekatriaphobia!
June 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment
It's both a Friday 13th and a full moon! I thought of writing up a short blog post (or even recycling one), but due to the freezing cold here and a need to clean the house and answer emails, I became a little overwhelmed. Here's a video I did earlier on the topic of superstitions and I'll have more to write over the weekend! … [Read more...]
Parody Anti-Vaccine Image Goes “Viral” (Something Awful Website)
June 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment
It shouldn't need spelling out, but the following appears to have gone viral - I got my first rather shocked Facebook notification ("is this real?") about it this morning, although I admit I'd seen it floating around the internet some time before and just ignored it:Back in 2013,(20-frickin-13!)the following Photoshop Phriday fun was had over on the Something Awful website - in fact at: http://www.somethingawful.com/photoshop-phriday/antivaccination-ads-mccarthy/1/ "If they can … [Read more...]
Unicorns And Cake – Recent Events And Links
May 11, 2014 by Leave a Comment
I've been away from social media a little bit (including chasing down emails) because I had a health scare recently and it's difficult to be enthusiastic about the online world when the offline world involves being a pincushion for blood tests and visiting radiotherapy (no knock against radiotherapists, but waiting rooms are scary places, especially when it mostly seems to be mothers and daughters) - naturally, it overshadows everything else.But yesterday I got to visit my niece, who has … [Read more...]
Curiouser And Curiouser – Four Years And Forty-Four Articles Now Out
May 1, 2014 by Leave a Comment
It's just occurred to me that once again, I've missed the anniversary (four years!) of writing for the CSICOP website, on a little column called Curiouser and Curiouser.The most recently published one is just before the Perth shows happening this weekend by some contributors to the TV show, The Checkout, Chris Taylor and Andrew Hansen - The Checkout is a satirical consumer affairs series on Australia’s ABC TV, presented by Julian Morrow and Craig Reucassel from the satirical comedy gr … [Read more...]
NSW Health Care Complaints Commission – AVN Info Misleading Or Inaccurate (Conclusion Of World Immunisation Week)
May 1, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The media release can speak for itself, really: Warning about the Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network, Inc. (‘AVN’), formerly known as Australian Vaccination Network Inc., 30 Apr 2014. The NSW Health Care Complaints Commission has completed an investigation into the Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network, Inc. (‘AVN’), formerly known as Australian Vaccination Network Inc and under section 94A(1) of the Health Care Complaints Act has decided to make the following public statement and warning … [Read more...]
World Immunisation Week – Day Six – Colbert On Vaccinations
April 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The Colbert ReportGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook“This anti-vaxx movement has done a lot of things that I love: Star power, science denial, and hipster appeal. 'Cause Penny-farthings and handlebar moustaches are cool, but nothing is more vintage than dying of Rubella.” … [Read more...]
World Immunisation Week – Day Five – Day Of Immunology
April 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Tomorrow, Tuesday 29th April, is the Day of Immunology in Melbourne - but you can always find local groups, hospitals, support networks to join (for example, in Western Australia, I'm joining Immunisation Alliance at http://immunisationalliance.org.au; in Queensland they're currently running a petition here) nationwide and I'm certain worldwide! About the Day of Immunology Established in 2005 by the European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS), the success of Day of Immunology led to … [Read more...]
World Immunisation Week – Day Four – Malaria
April 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment
International Business Times - World Malaria Day 2014: How Close Are We to a Vaccine?AlJazeera - Injecting hope into the fight against malaria - Access to life-saving anti-malaria drugs is improving and the first vaccine against the disease may be on the way.World Health Organization (WHO) Q: “Is there a vaccine against malaria?” A: Currently there is no commercially available #malaria vaccine, despite many decades of intense research and development effort. The most advanced vac … [Read more...]
CosmoQuest 2014 36 Hour HangOutAThon – Donate To The Very Finish!
April 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment
My good friend Gold zipped me an invite to this on Google+, just as I ended up being unwell, so I've missed a lot - but I have not missed out on donating!Donate now: http://cosmoquest.org/x/hangoutathon-36-36-fundraiser/More info: http://cosmoquest.org/x/blog/2014/04/hangoutathon-and-36-36-fundraiser/ From the site: As you may have noticed, the funding opportunities for science, astronomy, planetary science, and science education have not been ideal in the past year or so. Though we w … [Read more...]
World Immunisation Week – Day Three – On Vaccine Hesitation And Other Resources
April 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment
A few useful links and resources:From Science, 25 April 2014 Editorial, Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy - Barry R. Bloom, Edgar Marcuse, Seth Mnookin (viewable for free with registration): A recent report concluded that current public health communication about vaccines may actually increase misperceptions or reduce vaccination intention, and that attempts to increase concerns about communicable diseases or correct false claims about vaccines may be counterproductive. Research is needed to … [Read more...]
Kylie Sturgess is a Philosophy teacher, media and psychology student, blogger at Patheos and podcaster at 
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