“No country counts virus deaths like the others. We just have the most detailed method.” —Belgium’s Public Health Minister Maggie De Block Axios reports that “a senior administration official said he expects Trump to begin publicly questioning the COVID-19 death…
Author: Nick Gier
Singapore or Sweden: Which Way to Beat COVID-19? The East Asians got it right, but Sweden’s Mortality Rate is Rising
Learn about the contradictions of Christian libertarianism at www.webpages.uidaho.edu/ngier/christlibertarian.htm Note: since the writing of this article, there has been a surge of new cases among Singapore’s foreign workers, but the situation is now under control. “Loving your neighbors is protecting…
Buddhism, Mother Earth, and the Environment
“Heaven is under our feet as well as above our heads.” —Henry David Thoreau Buddhists in Asia celebrate their savior’s birthday on different days, and this year the date ranges from April 8 in Japan to April 30 in China…
Public Health: Essential Services of the “Deep State” Are We All Socialists Now? Definitely Not Libertarians
“I don’t like having thousands of people around when you don’t need them.” -Donald J. Trump on public health employees “It will soon be down to zero. . .it’s under control. . . the flu kills more. . . “…
I’m a Delinquent St. Patrick’s Day Boy
“What Patrick gave the Irish was a faith that took the best of traditional pagan beliefs and redefined those in Christian terms.” -Steve Rabey, In the House of Memory My birthday is St. Patrick’s Day, but I’ve never made much…
Making the Case for Tuition-Free Higher Education European Institutions Graduate 11% More Than U.S.
“High college cost is a threat to Idaho’s economy at a time when employers are demanding a more educated workforce.” —Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy Denmark’s Higher Education Reforms In 1966 I traveled to Denmark as a Rotary Foundation Fellow…
Struck v. Defense Department: A Better Case than Roe v. Wade?
When Susan Struck was 23, she volunteered as an Air Force nurse in Vietnam. Before she signed on, she was warned that if she became pregnant she would be automatically discharged. When she arrived in Vietnam, she started dating an…
Look What the Virgin Birth has Wrought
The doctrine of the Virgin Birth is a slur on natural motherhood. —Elizabeth Cady Stanton, The Woman’s Bible I’ve been studying the world religions for about 55 years, and early on I discovered patterns in the birth stories that I…
Busting some myths about Portugal’s greatest hero
I will be taking a trip to Portugal next month, and I plan to see all the major sites in Lisbon. A number of them are dedicated to Vasco da Gama, the navigator who “discovered” the sea route to India.…
Women of the Revolution: Soldiers, Spies, and Resisters
“We possess a spirit that will not be conquered. Should we be attacked, you will find a race of Amazons in America.” —Abigail Adams to John Adams (9/20/1776) For some time now I have stopped using the phrase “Founding Fathers”…