Mallen's Blog

Bees going extinct?

Are bees going extinct?

According to reports, we’re facing the beepocalypse. Pollinators are dying out, and the result will be much of our food will disappear. If true, it’s seriously worrying. But is it true? Let’s have a look.

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Should we eat meat?

Should we eat meat?

One of the burning questions we’re asking ourselves right now concerns our diet. Should we eat meat? Let’s discuss.

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Societal collapse and climate change

Climate Change and Collapse! The Paper Scaring a Generation

It’s been described as “the climate change paper so depressing its sending people to therapy.” Its author describes it as “a research paper concluding that climate-induced collapse is now inevitable.” It’s become the intellectual underpinning for people like Extinction Rebellion when they tell children they may die young. It’s Jem Bendell’s paper on Deep Adaptation. Does it bear up to scrutiny? Let’s have a look.

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Women too stupid for science?

Women too stupid for science?

The University of Sydney is so keen to get women into engineering, it has lowered the bar for entry for girls. As of next year, they will get 10 additional entry points to encourage them to apply. Is it a great initiative to tackle chronic under-representation of women in tech fields? Or is it a colossal blunder that insults women and casts a shadow over those who made it on merit under the normal system? Let’s discuss.

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Will billions starve because of climate change?

Will billions starve because of climate change? | Roger Hallam

Last week, BBC’s Hard Talk programme featured Extinction Rebellion founder Roger Hallam. During the interview he said that the science predicts mass starvation leading to the inevitable collapse of capitalism within the next ten years. He added that we would likely see the death of 6 billion people within fifty to seventy years. Was he right? We look at the science.

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Protect us from gender stereotypes

Protect us from gender stereotypes!

The UK’s new gender stereotyping ad ban delivers up its first transgressors – adverts for Philadelphia cheese and Volkswagen. We have a look at each, and ask what is the harm the Advertising Standards Agency is meant to be protecting us from, and is this effective action to change society for the better or nanny state government at its worst?

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Let the fat people die - Michael Buerk on obesity

Let the fat people die - Michael Buerk on obesity!

UK National treasure and professional crotchety old bloke, Michael Buerk, provoked outrage and even some nuanced discussion with a column arguing that obese people should be left alone. And if that means they die early, that’s fine because it means the national health service will save money. Controversial, or common sense? Let’s discuss!

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10 lessons for change makers from George Washington

10 Lessons for Change Makers from George Washington

If you want to be a change maker, and make your mark on the world, you can do a lot worse than look at how some of the people who shaped the world in the past did what they did. Learn from their successes. Learn from their failures. In this episode, we look at the extraordinary example of US President number one and hero of the war of independence, George Washington.

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Shakespeare vs BP?

Mark Rylance BP boycott - "Jolly silly"? Or ethical gold?

Esteemed actor Mark Rylance has resigned from the Royal Shakespeare Company because of its longstanding sponsorship deal with oil giant BP, who he directly blames for climate change. Another esteemed actor, Maureen Lipman, has called his moral stance “jolly silly”. Who’s right? – and should campaigners be focusing on BP’s sponsorships in the first place?

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Extinction Rebellion - the bit almost nobody knows

Extinction Rebellion - The bit almost nobody knows

In the UK, we are now at the end of the big Easter period of action for Extinction Rebellion. It hit the headlines big time, got everybody talking. So was I right or wrong in my previous video, where I said that their approach was hurting, not helping?

More importantly, what was the rather surprising element I learned since that video that most of the general public don't know, and even a good portion of those that took part in the protests probably don't either?

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Why the Gender Pay Gap is Bad Data

Why the Gender Pay Gap is Bad Data

Socially responsible businesses want to provide equal opportunities for all their employees. And even those that don't much care about their social responsibilities have to obey the law, which rightly makes it illegal to pay men and women different rates for completely comparable and equivalent jobs.

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Half of what you know for sure is wrong

Half of what you know for sure is WRONG!

One side on the climate change debate thinks that the science is completely on its side. The other side thinks that it's faked, or misrepresented. Neither side is following the evidence and then forming its opinion, because that's not how our brains work!

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Climate activists: Stop using children as props

Climate activists: Stop using children as props

More and more the environmental movement is using children - sometimes as young as 6 years old - to voice its messages and front its campaigns. Is this a powerful device, likely to win over sceptics and waverers? Or it is exploitative and counterproductive? We discuss.

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Video on the EAT Lancet report

Does science REALLY say we should give up meat for the planet?

Recently the EAT Lancet report suggested that there is an ideal diet for 10 billion people on the planet by 2050, and it's one with minuscule amounts of meat, and way more of everything else. With the challenges of climate change, how we sustainably feed ourselves is a huge question.

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