I don’t believe my friends would ever describe me as humble.
I am an extrovert who rarely wears a shirt during the summer (playing beach volleyball, not like walking through the mall), and I am a fairly prolific writer.
I have written hundreds of posts on LinkedIn, many quite controversial, and have penned more articles than any other journalist for the truth/integrity-focused media platform that I launched at BIG Media with a few associates last year.
This morning, I decided to compile a list of the Top 101 articles published by BIG Media Ltd. since our February 8, 2021, kickoff.
Now, although our news coverage is arguably the most spin-free in the industry, I am admittedly biased toward my writing. Yet, even with an egocentric predisposition, I could not justify having any of my articles included in our Top 101.
To protect my ego, instead of looking at this as a blow to my writing credentials, I choose to see it as an endorsement of my recruiting skills. The truth is, BIG Media Ltd. has an incredible editorial team.
I am good with numbers and words, but I simply do not have the intelligence nor scientific background to write at the level of scientist/entrepreneurs Laurie Weston, Lee Hunt, Brad Hayes, Brian Russell, Oliver Kuhn, epidemiologist Dr. David Vickers, scientist/lawyer Kevin Burron, economics/government policy/communications wiz Muriel Protzer, and engineers Jesse Keith and Paul Buller.
Is there another media company on the planet that has every article related to the COVID-19 pandemic reviewed by a committee consisting of four people, three of whom are data scientists, one of whom is an epidemiologist?
Even though we are just an ambitious startup, you will be hard pressed to find articles on any rival news site – yes, I said “any” … so including such former bastions of editorial integrity as the New York Times and Globe & Mail – that compete with our Top 101 in the crucial categories of accuracy and integrity.
I hope you agree that the abundance of practical information, some of which is cited below, is well worth about $10 USD per month to be a member at BIG Media. To ensure lasting integrity, we do not accept advertising, sponsorship, or government funding, so our readers are the only ones to whom we answer.
Establishing a trustworthy and very accurate source of news on the big issues is vitally important, and your support is needed and appreciated.
Causes of death and excess deaths
Analysis of excess deaths in 2020 reveals surprising deviations
A look back at causes of death in the first year of COVID-19
Biomedical ethics
Examining the ethics of triage in a pandemic
Mounting COVID frustration is no reason to abandon fundamental principles
Wicked problems are our business – and yours
The history of vaccination
Vaccines – a historical perspective
COVID vaccination
Making sense of myocarditis data as it relates to children
Exploring potential biases in estimating vaccine effectiveness
COVID-19’s impact on young children and the question of whether to vaccinate
Omicron update: vaccine effectiveness against ICU admission holds at 80%
The best missed prediction: disease severity 50% lower than we predicted
Omicron update: vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization drops sharply
As Omicron cases surge, impact on health care systems is difficult to predict
Ontario vaccine effectiveness nosedives amid surge in new cases
Vaccine effectiveness and adverse events – what we have learned
Taking a responsible look at adverse events following immunization
Understanding vaccine effectiveness and breakthrough
COVID context
Assessing the relative lethality of COVID-19: a Canadian case study
COVID-19 is definitely not the flu
What we forgot about the Spanish flu
COVID clarification – a tale of two tales
COVID calculations – applying statistics to COVID-19 testing
COVID context – how concerned should we be about dying from this virus?
COVID-19 collateral – strained mental health a global concern
Crisis leadership – transparent decision making and building trust
The science of masks
Face the facts – diving into the science of masks
Influenza
Is flu vaccination important this year?
Where did the flu go – and do we miss it?
Reviews of misleading COVID studies
Potentially polarizing paper anything but model behaviour
Random COVID-19 response rankings no reason to boast
Higher rates of adverse events after mRNA vaccines interpreted poorly by study authors
Analysing scientific studies
Sources of contention: is citing a reputable journal article really enough to end the argument?
How to correctly and effectively read a journal article
Philosophy
Selfishness, hypocrisy, the golden rule, and hope
Wicked problems are our business – and yours
Prisoner’s dilemma and vaccination
Pandemic restrictions, protests, and the rule of law
The Canadian prime minister’s emergency act
Rule of law wins in pastor’s successful appeal against pandemic protest contempt charges
Restrictions, rights, and the rule of law
Abortion law
The demise of Roe v. Wade – breaking down the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs case
Drugs and the law
Responsibility, jurisprudence, and the magic mushroom decision – Part 1
How many of us are doing drugs – and what is the connection to crime?
Hate crime
Bill C-36: hate, truth, and the return of the tribunal
Climate change context
Climate change and energy: context for the great debate
Is it really ‘now or never’ to stave off climate disaster?
Climate change – environmental emergency or economic opportunity?
Global emissions
Putting global emissions in perspective
Fracking
Carbon capture
Capturing carbon – the science and the subtleties
Sea level rise
Sea level is rising; should we be worried?
Glacial recession
Geologic history lessons
Examining the great Spokane Flood yields many lessons
Cancer
The business of cancer: a growing concern
Goldilocks goes to the beach – assessing the benefits of sunlight versus the risks of skin cancer
Monkeypox
Monkeypox data indicates no reason for panic
Energy transition
Return to sensible energy policy – a painful but necessary transition
Diving beneath the surface of the energy transition discussion
Examining the real meaning of ‘energy transition’ in the face of undeniable historic trends
How on Earth do we co-operate in charting our energy future?
What the International Energy Agency is actually telling us
It’s time to start setting realistic goals for energy transition
Climate policy
Policies that took energy security for granted have put much of the world in a tough spot
Energy prices climb … no surprises here
Scientific and realistic views on climate policy – a lesson from Scott Tinker
Renewable energy
Will renewable energy costs continue to drop – and will this make electricity cheaper?
Renewable energy – renewing hope or struggling to cope?
Renewables Part 2: cost and economic viability
Renewables Part 3 – assessing the technological capability of wind and solar
Geothermal energy and its place in the evolving power paradigm
Energy context
Power struggle – data analysis puts Texas energy debacle in perspective
Global oil resources – how much is left and do we have enough?
Energy fundamentals – an essential element of the transition discussion
Recycling
Coffee cup quandary is catalyst for recycling research
Plastic in the ocean
The science of science
Science – there is method to the madness
Manipulating science – activism and advocacy
Science and morality – ethics and judgment
Do you ‘believe the science’? How about starting with understanding the science?
Artificial intelligence
AI: Where are we and where are we going?
Data analysis
Man dies from vehicle collision with parasite
Science and music
Music, mathematics, and physics
Music, mathematics, and physics Part 2 – musical scales
Music, mathematics, and physics Part 3 – harmony and chords
Mathematics
Analog to digital music – where the magic happens
The numbers game – conquering confusing card quizzes and investigating information theory
Bayes’ Theorem and the probability of having cancer
Politics
A different take on the political spectrum
Information integrity
The smallest of lies are destroying our democratic institutions
BREAKING NEWS … into rational pieces
Striving to avoid bias in our own coverage
Overdose crisis
COVID collateral – overdose data shows alarming crisis
Debt in the G7
No doubt about debt – is it time to push panic button?
Vitamins and supplements
Vitamins and supplements – linchpin of optimal health or expensive urine?
The value of sleep
Wake up to the alarming A to ZZZZZs on the importance of sleep
Coffee culture
Coffee culture continues to carry colossal clout
The meat market
Deep dive delivers definitive data on meat marketplace
Social influencers
Social influencers – following the money
Wildlife management
Wildlife conservation – a big and often misunderstood game
Polar bear population analysis presents balanced picture
