Michael Plank University of Canterbury Shaun Hendy University of Auckland Michael Plank is a Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and Principal Investigator at Te Punaha Matatini, New Zealand’s Centre of Research Excellence in Complex Systems and Data Analytics.
HR Hi everyone. The BFD is humming even more than usual with 1.7 million or so people being in lockdown until recently and highly likely to be locked down again. The hot topics are, of course, covid, the government and the media. Emotions are high and commenters obviously want
@gluboco Social Stigmatization This social stigmatization of opponents works. Opponents of vaccine mandates are muted with the label of “anti-vaxxers”, which in our post-Soviet society is seen as a person who is irrationally fatalistic, mystical, illiterate, selfish, anti-modern, and anti-science. That’s driven away most mainstream
Louis T. March mercatornet.com Louis T. March has a background in government, business and philanthropy. A former talk show host, author and public speaker, he is a dedicated student of history and genealogy. Louis lives with his family in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Life is full of
@gluboco The Politics When Covid vaccines began in December 2020, political leaders in Lithuania emphasized that vaccination was voluntary. As vaccination rates increased in spring 2021 and development began on the Covid Pass, mainstream political views changed. Now, the consensus among all major politicians is that unvaccinated people should not
Health Forum NZ Facebook Dear Prime Minister 1) Why are we still using a PCR test amplified to 40 or 45 cycles to “test” for Covid, when we know (and the CDC and WHO have informed us) that such testing is fraught with a huge proportion of false positives? 2)
Kirsten Flint particle.scitech.org.au Kirsten takes great pride in being a Science Nerd. She is not biased in her nerdiness – she loves all science equally. She is also an avid crafter. Working in the science communication field allows her to flex both her left and right brain hemispheres,
Esse There are nine conditions that are necessary to instil in people in order to make them susceptible to being controlled on all levels of society. The first step in corrupting the individual is by creating conditions that threaten their immediate health and safety in such a way that they
Thomas Crow particle.scitech.org.au Thomas Crow is an Australian science writer. He has a background in professional writing, biochemistry and genetics. He writes for Australian and New Zealand research institutes and publications like Crikey. He’s a horror and gothic fantasy fan. He thinks of himself as a
Dynamite Information Satire Dear Prime Minister I am writing to you to ask for your assistance in answering some questions I have about the current state of our country in the hope that your answers and insights to those questions can be published widely amongst our people to better inform
Rebecca In the Balkans conflict in the early 1990s, people who had lived together peaceably for generations suddenly acted like psychopaths. The undesirables were not just denied medical treatment should they dare to survive the onslaught; they were then pursued to death by formerly congenial village dentists who now appeared
Melissa O’Hagan It probably doesn’t matter what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern does from here on in. Her legacy, in many minds, is already in place. The division of a nation. We are witnessing a disunion of our fellow citizens in a way we’ve never seen before: well
@gluboco Restaurants, Cafes, Bars Restaurants and bars also strictly enforce the Opportunity Pass. A small cafe doesn’t have the manpower of a huge business to put guards at the door to stop you from entering. But staff are strict in asking for your documents before you order. For example,
@gluboco Restrictions: What Do They Mean in Practice? There are many more rules, with lots of convoluted and sometimes conflicting provisions. And it’s even more confusing because bureaucrats revise the rules almost daily. Here’s how it currently works in practice if you don’t have the Opportunity Pass:
Harry Hunt If you’re like the rest of us, you are sick and tired of reading the same load of self-congratulatory drivel every day that you open social media. If you are a professionally-minded writer this could be your opportunity to get your voice heard. With audience
