Welcome to Heather’s Homilies
Ted Cruz vs Donald Trump on Policy
Most reasonable people, including myself, have been appalled by the possibility that Donald Trump could be the next president of the United States. He is currently way ahead in the delegate count and there's a mathematical possibility that he'll reach the 1237...
Trump’s Abortion Comment
Trump's response to Chris Matthews in an MSNBC Town Hall is well known by now: https://youtu.be/i2mHh9TtEks Trump clearly didn't have a response ready for this question and was thinking on his feet. His immediate instinct though was that women are doing something...
African Servals Get A Second Chance
African Servals (Leptailurus serval) are beautiful cats and extremely successful hunters, which are currently doing well on most of the African continent. However, because of habitat loss and poaching, their numbers are declining in South Africa and they are extinct...
Auē Tēnei Wiki: The Brussels Tragedy and the GOP
Tragedy brings out the best in the best people and the worst in the worst people. Therefore it is no surprise that the Islamist terrorist attacks in Brussels earlier this week have exposed some of the worst aspects of the attitudes of the two leading candidates to be...
Tau Kē Tēnei Wiki: Clouded Leopard Cubs
Two very cute cubs were born to Lowry Park Zoo's (Tampa, Florida) clouded leopard couple, Malee and Yim, on 29 February. However, Malee stopped feeding her cubs after the first day so zoo staff have stepped up to the task. The cubs are a male and female and the zoo...
The Case Against Trickle-Down Economics for Reducing Unemployment
Many politicians, especially those on the right, preach the gospel of Trickle-Down Economics. The theory is that if businesses have more money they will employ more people and therefore it is essential to reduce business taxes. Raising the income of the wealthiest in...
Will GOP Approve Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination?
Short answer: No. In fact, they won't even give him a hearing. President Obama has done his Constitutional duty and made a nomination to fill the vacancy on the US Supreme Court left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. It is Judge Merrick Brian Garland, who...
Why Increasing the Minimum Wage is Good for the Economy
On 1 April New Zealand’s minimum wage is increasing from $14.75/hour to $15.25/hour (US$10.29), so I thought I’d take the opportunity to do one of the posts on The Economy I’ve been promising. Whenever the level of the minimum wage is discussed, there are those who...
US Attitudes to Abortion
8 March is International Women's Day. Although women have made enormous strides towards equality just in my lifetime, there are still millions of women who are subjugated and even in the West, still plenty of anti-women laws. There are many countries I could pick on,...
Trump vs Cruz: The Battle of the Liars
There's a new cartoon on Pliny the InBetween's Evolving Perspectives website that speaks to what I've been saying about Ted Cruz for some time so, of course (blame physics), I felt compelled to share it with you: And another one from earlier: Pliny really has this...
Auē Tēnei Wiki: Saudi Cleric Says Posting Pictures on Social Media Can Cause Cancer
Just when you thought the most ridiculous thing you'd read this year so far was my post about Saudi cleric Ali Al-Maliki confidently asserting that the West tampers with burgers so more female babies will be born there, I can go one better. According to MEMRI TV...
Tau Kē Tēnei Wiki: The Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth
Once again my Tau Kē (very cool) of the week comes via Amy Carparelli. She monitors the videos that come from ZSL (Zoological Society of London/London Zoo) and they released this one on Friday about the critically endangered pygmy three-toed sloth. Apparently it's...