Ah, 2021. There was so much potential, but unfortunately, we experienced 2020 Volume 2. We witnessed the damaging consequences of Delta and the rising spread of Omicron. The vaccination race and the return to severe restrictions. It was a year that will once again be remembered for COVID. However, even within another challenging year, there…
“COVID is deadly! Do everything you can to protect yourselves and your loved ones!” “Actually, jokes, you’re most likely going to catch it, and that’s okay!” We have witnessed a dramatic transformation in rhetoric from our leaders regarding the future of the pandemic. An increasing acceptance that the virus will spread without the reintroduction of…
The mainstream media have been very sad and confused recently. "What am I supposed to report on now that the world is moving on from COVID?" All the hits, online audience, revenue, slowly returning back to pre-COVID levels… OMICRON!!! Yay! A brand-new variant to milk dry with countless clickbait titles and fear-inducing claims! Stop. Personally,…
The right for terminally ill people to end their lives is one step closer in NSW as the bill to legalise voluntary assisted dying passed its final vote in the lower house. If passed in the upper house early next year, New South Wales will join the other Australian states who have already passed euthanasia…
Complacency breeds failure. Just because things are going well now doesn’t mean they can’t suddenly go horribly wrong. This is the reality in India, as they battle a new wave of COVID-19 which is more destructive than any previous variant of the virus. The nation relaxed in its partial success and now have to deal…
When numbers get higher and higher, they become more and more meaningless and incomprehensible. The numbers lose value, and the shock element that might have been present at the start, begins to fade away. On the 1st of October 2020, I wrote an article titled “1 Million” (https://thelevinelowdown.com/2020/10/01/1-million/) On the 17th of January 2021, I…
Anti-Vaxxers! Otherwise known as COVID-19 Misinformation Spreaders! (Excuse the sarcasm) Now, you may be wondering why I would even consider giving these people more of a platform. That is a very fair point and one that is in the back of my mind as I write. However, these small protests have stemmed from a larger…
When numbers get higher and higher, they become more and more meaningless and incomprehensible. The numbers lose value, and the shock element that might have been present at the start begins to fade away. The difference between 2 million and 1 million seems oddly small. Or maybe that’s just me? It’s hard for my brain…
Are you really a cool teenager if you don’t vape? Are you really part of the popular group if you don’t inhale vapour and blow the smoke out into the air? ‘Vaping’ has become a worldwide trend, however; with limited information available regarding the practice, how should we approach this behaviour? A crime, a strong…
There will be only one word that comes to mind when people reflect on 2020 in the future. COVID-19. It started being reported in January, and in December the virus was still spreading as rapidly as ever, with no sign of it slowing down in 2021 with vaccines only starting to be produced. Although 2020…
233,000 cases. 219,000 cases. Now you may think those are the number of cases over the past two days around the world. However, they are just the number of COVID-19 cases in Europe over the last two days. Europe is suffering one of the worst outbreaks of COVID-19 ever seen, and it looks like many…
I’ll be honest, this series hasn’t been very upbeat to date. Firstly, we looked at Lebanon and the impact of the explosion in Beirut on the nation. Then, we talked about Brazil and the devastating impact of their lack of leadership, leading to extreme loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, today, I thought I would…
The Australian government released the federal budget on Tuesday night, featuring billions of dollars in spending to boost the economy. The budget can be very confusing, and sometimes it is hard to determine how it will impact you. So here are some things that the government has announced and what it means for you! Economy…
“I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Centre today at 6:30pm. Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of COVID. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!” That was a tweet by American…
Usually, the number 1,000,000 is used in a positive context. Maybe your favourite content creator reached 1 million followers on YouTube or Instagram. Maybe someone earnt a million dollars through their job or through an unanticipated event. Or perhaps a million was used to describe how many people were watching a sporting event. In most…
Levine Lowdown 