Why the term ‘it’s psychological’ doesn’t cut it as a real medical diagnosis

August 6, 2018

A while back a downtown Auckland tower-block was evacuated after the occupants fell ill with what was first thought to be gas from the air conditioning. It wasn’t. But a dozen people were hospitalised. That evening, more people fell ill and the building was closed. Before a formal investigation reported on the problem, a university … More Why the term ‘it’s psychological’ doesn’t cut it as a real medical diagnosis

Echoes of the guns of August – why we remember the First World War so poignantly

August 4, 2018

It is 104 years since the First War began, this month – and a century, this year, since it ended. The nations involved in it had all variously been involved in longer wars before. And the main combatants fought a longer war later: the Second World War, which pitted the same major nations against each … More Echoes of the guns of August – why we remember the First World War so poignantly

Perhaps the pen is mightier than the voice

July 30, 2018

I was intrigued by some research I spotted recently which seems to prove that the pen is, indeed, mightier than the sword. Well, it’s mightier than the spoken word, anyway. The research suggested that there’s a specific reason why arguments on Facebook so often degenerate to slagging matches. It’s the same issue lawyers run into … More Perhaps the pen is mightier than the voice

Kiwi Air Power – free on Kindle for a couple of days

July 27, 2018

A pile of my military histories have all received new covers this week – and there’s another to be reissued on 4 August. To mark the moment, the first of the series, Kiwi Air Power, is available free this weekend on Kindle. I first proposed this book to Reed NZ Ltd in 1994, contracted it … More Kiwi Air Power – free on Kindle for a couple of days