A constant search for science’s answers to life’s questions. A newsletter by Hilda Bastian, with some debunking and cartoons.
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<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Science, there is no left, no right only intellectual curiosity, research and facts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->
8.3.2025 03:17Comment on A Balancing Act by Anonymous… liked this!
6.3.2025 12:20Comment on Allyship and U-Turns Back to Democracy by Daniel MacPhee 🔬🧬🧫🇨🇦… reposted this!
6.3.2025 12:20Comment on Allyship and U-Turns Back to Democracy by Daniel MacPhee 🔬🧬🧫🇨🇦It’s the season for new acorns here in southern Australia. The oak trees’ ancient symbolism feels heartening this year: Strength, wisdom, and stability. We need to gather all of that, globally, in the face of grotesque cuts to international aid, surging racism and scapegoating of minorities, genocidal wars, climate vandalism, and democratic backsliding. A few […]
6.3.2025 05:06Allyship and U-Turns Back to Democracy… liked this!
5.2.2025 13:40Comment on A Balancing Act by A/V Revolution… reposted this!
5.2.2025 13:19Comment on A Balancing Act by Daniel MacPhee 🔬🧬🧫🇨🇦… liked this!
5.2.2025 13:19Comment on A Balancing Act by Daniel MacPhee 🔬🧬🧫🇨🇦<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thank you fr such a well-written article.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I keep in high regards your opinion and enjoyed this posting: very well written and provoking. Obviously, you belong to the left ideologically, and that is what differentiate some of our viewpoints.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I do not have your academic or scientific background. I am just a hard-working Pediatrician, clinician leader in a busy children’s hospital for more than 30 years. I have been working ‘in the trenches’, dealing with all imaginable real-world medical and psycho-social problems of the very human nature expected at a busy practice, interfacing with parents and children in a multicultural environment at a tertiary children’s hospital. I have some academic and scholarly work, with outcomes far away from your accomplished career. With that disclosure and understanding our respective limitations, I decided to respectfully share my viewpoints.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Your post is very well written and inviting to keep questioning the world, our politicians and the leadership of our healthcare and public health organizations. It also invites to keep following the Cochrane organization engulfed by recent controversies made more evident a few years back with the expelling of Dr. Peter Gotzsche- a founder- from their leadership and the subsequent events; until the recent rejection by the a section of the scientific community (the left leaning ideologically) of the Systematic review on the use of masks to mitigate transmission of respiratory infections. Interesting, a year after a focused review of the ‘wording’ of the conclusion, the authors – and Cochrane- decided NOT to change a word on the conclusions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of the bat, I would like to highlight a couple of examples that illustrate some biases and flaws of the modern scientist with leftish views: selective outrage and double standards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am a centrist libertarian, Cristian and I share your inspiring worlds about science internationalism, brought to light now, as a flag in these times of seismic change in healthcare leadership when the current leaders seems to be prioritizing the disastrous, failing US healthcare system we saw crumbling in front of us without any meaningful outrage for decades. Personally, I have walked this talk: I have served as physician deployed in third world countries to support and advance their healthcare systems and have volunteered as a physician in mayor natural disasters twice. Like you, I believe in science internationalism. However, when it comes to understand the position of the Scandinavian countries on their approach to COVID -19, there was no science internationalism. Despite their very superior outcomes, we mocked and ignored their pragmatic approach to public health to mitigate transmission and impact of COVID-19. Our viewpoints and interpretation of evidence was considered ( wrongfully) superior. The main outcome: we accounted for a disproportionate share of the world deaths due to COVID-19. The same applies to the current controversies on the management of transgender youth: when it comes to acknowledging of the result of the Cass review, solidly performed by an honorary and respected leader of the pediatric community that has been accepted by large swaths of the scientific and public health leaders as key evidence to enact recommendations and practice guidelines. In this other scenario there is NO science internationalism. We, American scientists consider ourselves hegemonic and superior to ignore the evidence and the common practice of many European and other countries. In America, our experts – activists choose to follow the dubious WPATH and its interpretation of the scientific evidence and recommendations. These are just two examples of ‘selective’ application of the concept of science internationalism. I wish you, and the scientists with leftish political viewpoints could be able at least to acknowledge these facts reflecting double standards on reasoning as the first step to attempt to find common ground and move forward. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second area of selective outrage and double standards is your call for scientific freedom, a principle that we all should embrace, always. However, when it came to the COVID times and the censoring, mocking and ostracizing of scientists like Jay Bhattacharya and others – included myself - with similar viewpoints detailed in the Great Barrington Declaration, the academic establishment , the leadership at HIH and universities at those recent past times ignored your well -articulated principle of scientific freedom with NO massive outrage or criticism from you and the academic and public health scholars, as expressed in this blog.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let’s keep our curious eyes open to listen to everybody and keep questioning scientific research, public health and healthcare leaders in an unbiased manner. And yes: let’s fight for science internationalism and scientific freedom, applied <strong>always, anytime and anywhere.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->
5.2.2025 12:11Comment on A Balancing Act by AnonymousThis tree stopped me in my tracks a few years ago, when my life was torn apart by grief. “Life goals,” I thought, seeing the way it had found new footing and strength after such devastation. I craved that recovery of internal balance, and the steadiness of it. It came, though it took time. I […]
5.2.2025 05:47A Balancing Act[…] out my May 2024 post, “When will we get a sterilizing Covid […]
2.2.2025 03:30Comment on “When Will We Get a Sterilizing Covid Vaccine?” by Another Intranasal Covid Vaccine Trial & More Good News (Update 25) - Absolutely Maybe[…] out my May post, “When will we get a sterilizing Covid […]
7.1.2025 13:02Comment on “When Will We Get a Sterilizing Covid Vaccine?” by Authorization Milestone for First NextGen Covid Vaccine in Europe and More News (Update ...<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We don't know – that hasn't been tested. It is potentially more protective if/when a new variant develops, and it lasts for longer. The nasal vaccines are varying in effectiveness – as vaccines of all types do. I wrote a post back in May (<a href="https://hildabastian.wordpress.com/2024/05/07/when-will-we-get-a-sterilizing-covid-vaccine/" rel="ugc">here</a>) about this question.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->
4.1.2025 07:21Comment on Some Good News, At Least, for the Start of the Year by Hilda BastianLast year ended with some good news for Covid vaccination: The European Medicines Agency recommended authorization for its first next generation Covid vaccine. Authorization for 30 European countries should follow in January or February. And manufacturers plan to apply for approvals in the UK and US this year as well – and perhaps elsewhere, too. […]
3.1.2025 05:23Some Good News, At Least, for the Start of the YearIt’s springtime here in Australia, and my garden is projecting optimism. I sure am grateful for it. Between personal grief, and all there is to despair or be anxious about in the world, cheery things are so very welcome. As I’m typing, the final day of voting is underway in the US election. I wrote […]
5.11.2024 06:00Optimism and Participating in ResearchSometimes, I really don’t know what I might find when I start digging seriously into a topic. Usually, though, I have a pretty good idea where I’m going to land, even if there are a few surprises along the way. Last week was one of the rare times I ended up somewhere that I did […]
4.10.2024 07:03A Little Less Doomscrolling…You don’t have to be American to be intensely interested in this year’s election, and on tenterhooks over polls. As an evidence science type, all that data is simultaneously addictive and frustrating. Take today. Now that US Labor Day is over, I saw several uncritical media comparisons between Kamala Harris’ polling average now and other […]
4.9.2024 09:01The Frustrating Trap of Not Comparing Like With Like…EtcIt’s been wonderful to have so many women to cheer on lately, with sunshine and exuberance pouring out from the Kamala Harris campaign and the Olympics. All that accomplishment could even rise above the head-spinning levels of racism, misogyny, sexism, and transphobia it triggered. Most of the backlash is what you would expect, but something […]
14.8.2024 07:59Cheering Women OnThere's a new trial of masks to prevent respiratory illness! How does that affect the body of evidence? In my latest newsletter, I dig into that - & wish trial reports routinely answered that question better:
25.7.2024 08:32A New Trial of Masks… If Only…This is the closest I’ve ever been to a black swan in the wild. They’re magnificent; such a glossy black. And very, very common around here. I stopped to take a photo of this one because evidence, and how much of it you need to be convinced about something, has been on my mind. I […]
23.6.2024 06:45How Much Evidence Do You Need?I get this question a lot. It’s hard to answer in a few words. I know there has been at least one prediction that it could happen this year. I think the question is too complicated for an easy prediction like that at this point. That’s because there are several steps to getting access to […]
7.5.2024 06:39“When Will We Get a Sterilizing Covid Vaccine?”