The Waiting Man

Not that it's of any personal interest to me, but I was intrigued by this headline on a not-really-news story...

Surprise Holly Valance sighting shocks fans

Interesting that the 'news' site should refer to, or indeed imply, that Holly Valance has any 'fans'... She was, at a generous best, a 2-hit pop music wonder back in the 00s, after completely failing to set the acting world alight with her stint on the recently, mercifully deceased Aussie soap opera 'Neighbours'... then married a rich property developer & left the business of show, with barely a whimper, let alone a backward glance. I would be amazed if anyone in the USA, or Asia, or Africa, or about 95% of Europe has ever heard of her, let alone ever been a 'fan'

For those of us who remember her at all, it's mostly for the vacuous pop she fronted the music videos for, her not-cute-but-actually-a-little-disturbing shtick about living in 'Hollyworld' &, more recently, her support for an anti- Covid vaccination group. So to see her in a photo with Trump & Nigel Farage is only surprising in that somehow, her billionaire husband wangled a photo-op after some dinner thing for similarly right-(wing)minded delusionals... & certainly not any kind of 'shock' to either those who have heard of her, or those who wonder who the hell she is

Still... click-bait is click-bait & even though my intention was only to shine a light, once again, on the First World's obsession with vacuity & the bottom-rung media's role in creating & sustaining it, in the end I still clicked on the article, so they win

I feel hollow... & a little dirty after all that

Celebrity Chef fined $25,000 for misleading claims about machine that 'cures' Covid19

The culinary mouthpiece in question (I won't call him a chef, as he doesn't seem to do much cooking in high-end restaurants, just sits judging amateur contestants on television, while munching on 'activated' almonds) - has form in this area... he regularly promotes products or produce as having amazing restorative or curative powers, claims to know better than scientists & doctors, or spruiks questionable diets that are the answer to everything from an upset tummy to world peace & global warming... Okay that last bit's an exaggeration, but give him time, I'm sure he'll find something that he will assure us can do it... & give you Marvel superhero-like powers... Probably

Even though it won't stop him mouthing off the next time he finds something with dubious science behind its claims to align the planets & reveal the aliens in our midst, I'm pleased he's been fined by an Authority & that it has been well publicised. If only there were a global organisation which could impose a fine & a muzzle on that other, internationally recognised snake oil salesman...

It's one of the things I wonder & lament about in this modern world... when did we stop listening to scientists, teachers, doctors... & start listening to quacks with fake tans & a media agent?

Certainly, there's an argument to be made about corporate funding to education & science meaning there's no such thing as unquestionable, unbiased research & results, but given that all of the findings must be peer-reviewed before becoming accepted practice, there is a safety net that stops bad science becoming fact. It's (mostly) a free world, so you are welcome to ignore, or reject that science & accept the consequences of doing so... but you shouldn't be free to share your unfounded opinions, beliefs &, above all, products with the rest of the world - preying on the illiterate, the weak, the elderly, the poor... your huddled masses

So, to make the obvious connection to current events - while it may be true that the W.H.O. has been politically compromised, there's no evidence at all that its actual work in this time of plague... or at any other time of crisis, is not to be trusted

Peter Evans, or a Paediatrician... Donald Trump, or a Doctor - the choice is yours... as are the consequences