Seam sealing the new Lanshan ultralight tent. Latest model is polysil fabric (800g!) that does not absorb water like nylon and so does not sag after rain (or increase weight) I made a right dog’s breakfast of the sealing, but I don’t care if it’s not pretty so long as it be waterproof. #camping

NHS England in denial. The clear lesson from China was that with a ‘go fast, go hard’ approach it WAS was possible to contain the pandemic virus spread until a vaccine was available.

Discussed here sciencebasedmedicine.org/everythingca...

Whatever happened to Li-Meng Yan, the COVID bioweapon conspiracy theorist?

On a podcast former Biden bigwig Jake Summers confidently asserts that China will not beat the US in areas such as biotech because the ‘American innovation ecosystem’ is resilient. Yeah look at your universities, NIH and FDA www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...

Bought a new tent to replace the ageing MSR Hubba, a Lanshan Pro, via AliExpress. A Chinese brand and the quality is pretty good, at a fraction of the price of US/EU ultralight tents. Camping gear is yet another area where #China brands are becoming dominant

SMH running crap articles from the Washington Post that give credulity to antivax cranks now appointed to official positions. There is no ‘balance’ or ‘ both sides’ when it comes to scientific fact vs quack fiction

Spent most of the day trying to plan the my 2026 100-day hike across the Hengduan mountains in SW China. 30 years ago it was a blank on the map. Now there are Chinese hiking apps showing daily itineraries of how to cross from one remote canyon to the next.

"God damn British get out": graffiti on a Beijing college wall, 1925 hpcbristol.net/visual/FD-s036

Australia may soon need to impose immigration controls on US citizens, requiring them to show proof of vaccination against infections such as hep B

How does a viral social media post snowball into a global fake news story? @wenhao.bsky.social retraces the path, one misleading report at a time, in this piece about China's alleged law to curb online misinformation.

If #PFAS forever chemicals are causing ovarian cancer, why are rates of the cancer showing long term decline just after peak levels of PFAS exposure in the population?

Our annual deep dive on China’s climate transition is out! China’s CO₂ emissions are set to remain flat for a second year in 2025. Record additions of solar and wind, accelerating electrification, and declining construction-material demand are the main drivers.

I did a bike ride/rafting trip down the Hawkesbury River

Hawkesbury morning mist

Today: bikerafting down the Hawkesbury from Windsor to Wisemans Ferry. #Sydney

Good move: Australia blocks takeover of Mayne Pharma by US firm, cites national interest | Reuters www.reuters.com/business/healt…

Sinophobia in science: the US persecution of Chinese researchers has bipartisan support www.economist.com/china/2025/1...

Great culture can save lives. Literally. Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

Great yarn about a vicar from #Leeds who faked his own death at the cliffs of Flamborough Head and ran away to Australia with his mistress, ending up as a reporter for the Toowoomba Chronicle! burytheleeds.substack.com/p/a-scandalo...

Fitted new Big Ben fat tyres to the Dahon. They’re a bugger to get on but combined with the suspension it’s now like I’m riding on air.

After my 6000 km bike ride along the Yellow River my next mad scheme is a 2000 km walk from Yunnan to Gansu. Trying to map out a Chinese long distance hike similar to the Appalachian trail. Highlights will be Dulong, Nujiang, Yading, Gongga Shan and Zhagana

The rise of China’s biotech sector is being assisted by the US frenzy of anti-science and anti-expertise policies archive.md/0DrnZ

Lisa Visentin laments the lack of interest in learning Chinese in Australia and admits she never took up the opportunity while at uni

Sad to see the BBC now pushing unnecessary clinics for the worried well. This ‘environmental toxins’ expert is a former GP now offering expensive but meaningless tests that inevitably lead to recommendations to buy nutritional supplements www.msn.com/en-au/health...

False claims such as this need a rapid and robust rebuttal from a coalition of professional groups. Unfortunately no response from the American College of Cardiology on Prasad’s myocarditis myths. What’s needed is a clear declaration statement of no confidence in the FDA

What are the 4 demands about the high rise fire that got a HK student arrested for sedition hongkongfp.com/2025/11/29/h...

Took me 40 years but I finally get to wear the suit I desperately wanted to have when I saw it worn by Griffin Dunne in the 1985 #Scorsese film After Hours. When I visited NYC in 1986 I was shopping for clothes at Flip, not Brooks Brothers

Academia as a mouthpiece for arms industry lobbying? Discuss www.afr.com/policy/forei...

Chinese wear keffiyeh as a symbol of support for Palestine (but the keffiyeh is banned by Victorian parliament) thediplomat.com/2025/11/how-...

Australia is about to switch from US dollars to accepting renminbi payments for iron ore - but our big anglophone banks are still fixated on Washington theconversation.com/china-report...

Aussie media hysteria as former MP helps university explore partnerships with Chinese universities johnmenadue.com/post/2025/11...

A *huge* vaccine victory. I've been writing on this for years; Australia has seen remarkable progress in cervical cancer prevention with the HPV vaccine. I love seeing science triumph like this.

Dr Assal Rad— "Today, the world’s leading human rights org said the genocide is not over. "Naturally, Western media has completely ignored it, because why would this be newsworthy?"

Went to long Jetty near The Entrance cos I heard it was the Newtown of the Central Coast. It isn’t. But it does have a long jetty. And some birdlife.

I like Yorkshire beers but these prices are insane. They’re about five dollars (£2.50) a bottle in the UK

Reading Ben Elton autobiography. Surprised to learn he had severe #psoriasis, only controlled recently by IL-23 biologic tildrakizumab. Also he’s a massive name dropper.

Travelled 3 hours on a train and bus to see a bike for sale on FB Marketplace. Decided within 30 seconds that I didn't want it but hung around for 15 minutes umm-ing and ahh-ing so I didn't lose face in front of the seller

Medical research is good PR. But an investigation by @wendybacon1.bsky.social & Cathy Peters shows Australia's philanthropic hedge fund royalty profiteering from war crimes too #HMI #auspol michaelwest.com.au/hmi-raising-...

Symmetry: China has Russian snack shops, while Australia has American candy shops selling vapes.

Listening to June 1982 Too 40 show on Mixcloud. Funny hearing first chart entry of songs that would become classics ( Mad World) alongside pap like Toyah www.mixcloud.com/retro-record...

Oh dear. A Guardian article lamenting plummeting standards in civilisation thinks the 1960s TV series Civilisation was fronted by cigar-smoking Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken Clarke rather than the crusty art historian Sir Kenneth Clarke. Britain’s gone to pot! @chitgrrl.bsky.social

Breakfast in Corowa

Michael Barrymore when Steve Wright accused him on air of nicking his ‘awright’ catchphrase

Murray River camping trip

From the river to the sea 🇵🇸

Houses in Sorrento remind me those I saw in Shandong province, China, built by the British in the same era. Can you tell which is which?

Can we cancel Keith Urban’s residency permit (he’s NZ born) for supporting fascism?