The media knows that bad news sells. Rolling coverage of terrorist attacks, natural disasters and, of course, more recently Covid 19 makes people more likely to buy newspapers (yes, they still exist) or consume news electronically or online and maybe even pay for some...
As I write this last column for 2020, the words of the late John Lennon come to mind; “So this is Christmas And what have you done? Another year over A new one just begun” Last week marked the 40th anniversary of his tragic death by homicide. Where has that time gone...
As each month passes, we are discovering more about the cost of the response to Covid19. Whilst there is a daily update on the number of cases and deaths, we here little if anything about the medical and health consequences of lockdowns. In fact, any questioning of...
One thing that has struck me in talking with older patients about Covid-19 is that overwhelmingly they are more worried about the future prospects of their children and grandchildren than the virus itself. This theme was well described by Stephen Waterson in the...
There is an old adage that politics makes strange bedfellows. The E-cigarette debate in Australia has given a new twist to this with the Tobacco industry and Tobacco control effectively on the same side when it comes to people continuing to smoke. Sound bizarre? Well...
In the famous song “American Pie” by Don MacLean there is a line in the chorus about the day the music died. This is a reference to the plane crash in which rock legends Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died. Last Friday (March 10) could be described as...
