Mike Toole #I stand with Ukraine and Palestinians
@profmiketoole.bsky.social
Retired epidemiologist. Worked in global health for almost 50 years. Based in Melbourne, Australia with my two Coton de Tulear dogs. Associate Principal Research Fellow at the Burnet Institute. I stand with Gaza, Panama, Canada and Greenland.
During my long career in international health, I worked in many war zones and refugee camps. I managed to retain optimism that the world would eventually prevent these tragedies. Now, in my 70s, I see a world in chaos, directed by a deranged US president motivated by greed and power. I'm devastated.
January 20, 2026 at 12:11 PM
During my long career in international health, I worked in many war zones and refugee camps. I managed to retain optimism that the world would eventually prevent these tragedies. Now, in my 70s, I see a world in chaos, directed by a deranged US president motivated by greed and power. I'm devastated.
I recently posted that Stephen Miller is the most evil of Trump's goons. I still hold that view. But Kristi Noem has leapt to #2. I guess a woman who bragged about executing her puppy in cold blood would have no problem with her ICE agent murdering a young mother in cold blood. Impeach her now.
January 11, 2026 at 5:05 AM
I recently posted that Stephen Miller is the most evil of Trump's goons. I still hold that view. But Kristi Noem has leapt to #2. I guess a woman who bragged about executing her puppy in cold blood would have no problem with her ICE agent murdering a young mother in cold blood. Impeach her now.
I don't need to explain why I think that Stephen Miller has emerged as the most evil man in the White House. His pronouncements come straight from the mouth of Joseph Goebbels. He is a descendant of Jewish refugees, and yet he frequently vilifies refugees and immigrants. A disgraceful human being.
January 8, 2026 at 3:51 AM
I don't need to explain why I think that Stephen Miller has emerged as the most evil man in the White House. His pronouncements come straight from the mouth of Joseph Goebbels. He is a descendant of Jewish refugees, and yet he frequently vilifies refugees and immigrants. A disgraceful human being.
As the year comes to an end, I've tried to rank the top 12 jerks in Trump 2.0, from the worst onwards. I've looked at their policies/actions, demeanours, and respect for the law. TRUMP, Hegseth, Vought, RFK Jr, JD Vance, Miller, Bondi, Patel, Lutnick, Noem, Gabbard, Rubio. I welcome alternatives.
December 28, 2025 at 2:06 AM
As the year comes to an end, I've tried to rank the top 12 jerks in Trump 2.0, from the worst onwards. I've looked at their policies/actions, demeanours, and respect for the law. TRUMP, Hegseth, Vought, RFK Jr, JD Vance, Miller, Bondi, Patel, Lutnick, Noem, Gabbard, Rubio. I welcome alternatives.
Ahmed el Ahmed, a Syrian Muslim refugee to Australia, has become a global hero. A small but important glimmer of light in the darkness since last Sunday's tragedy in Bondi.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Opinion | The Righteousness of Ahmed el Ahmed
www.nytimes.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Ahmed el Ahmed, a Syrian Muslim refugee to Australia, has become a global hero. A small but important glimmer of light in the darkness since last Sunday's tragedy in Bondi.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
One positive from the Bondi tragedy was the heroism of a Muslim Syrian refugee, Ahmed Al Ahmed. Bravo.
www.theage.com.au/national/nsw...
www.theage.com.au/national/nsw...
Bondi hero Ahmed ‘in good spirits’ after being shot twice saving lives
Ahmed el Ahmed’s parents have spoken after their son was injured following his disarming of one of the shooters in the attack.
www.theage.com.au
December 15, 2025 at 7:04 AM
One positive from the Bondi tragedy was the heroism of a Muslim Syrian refugee, Ahmed Al Ahmed. Bravo.
www.theage.com.au/national/nsw...
www.theage.com.au/national/nsw...
I just watched the opening of the Grand Museum of Egypt on YouTube. The Egyptians sure know how to put on a show. Orchestras at the Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, Statue of Liberty, and Rio de Janeiro. Spectacular. The largest museum ever built in the world. DRM (fully) and France 24.
November 2, 2025 at 3:58 AM
I just watched the opening of the Grand Museum of Egypt on YouTube. The Egyptians sure know how to put on a show. Orchestras at the Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, Statue of Liberty, and Rio de Janeiro. Spectacular. The largest museum ever built in the world. DRM (fully) and France 24.
The US public health community is fighting back against the purge of the CDC by RFK Jr and the Trump administration.
open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
The CDC Diaspora Fights Back
How America’s scientific army is trying to stand up for public health—and stand up for itself.
open.substack.com
October 23, 2025 at 12:58 AM
The US public health community is fighting back against the purge of the CDC by RFK Jr and the Trump administration.
open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
Here is my article on the famine in Gaza published today in The Conversation. It's a technical paper and does not describe the current impact of starvation. That should be written by someone on the ground in Gaza.
theconversation.com/child-famine...
theconversation.com/child-famine...
Child famine has reached the highest level in Gaza, with tens of thousands of kids affected – new study
By August,15.8% of children aged under five were suffering from acute malnutrition.
theconversation.com
October 9, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Here is my article on the famine in Gaza published today in The Conversation. It's a technical paper and does not describe the current impact of starvation. That should be written by someone on the ground in Gaza.
theconversation.com/child-famine...
theconversation.com/child-famine...
My article in The Conversation about the global impact of the turmoil at the CDC. I welcome feedback.
theconversation.com/what-chaos-a...
theconversation.com/what-chaos-a...
What chaos at the US CDC could mean for the rest of the world
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a key institution when it comes to public health in the US, but it’s also instrumental in global health.
theconversation.com
September 1, 2025 at 6:37 AM
My article in The Conversation about the global impact of the turmoil at the CDC. I welcome feedback.
theconversation.com/what-chaos-a...
theconversation.com/what-chaos-a...
There seems to be no end to the nastiness of the Trump administration. RFK Jr alone will be responsible for the deaths of 1000s of Americans.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/h...
New C.D.C. Director Resists Ouster as Other Officials Resign
www.nytimes.com
August 28, 2025 at 2:02 AM
There seems to be no end to the nastiness of the Trump administration. RFK Jr alone will be responsible for the deaths of 1000s of Americans.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/h...
Phew. The mushroom trial is over at last. The media coverage was over the top. But I'll never eat Beef Wellington again.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/w...
Australian Woman Is Convicted of Murder in Mushroom Poisoning Case
www.nytimes.com
July 7, 2025 at 5:10 AM
Phew. The mushroom trial is over at last. The media coverage was over the top. But I'll never eat Beef Wellington again.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/w...
My doggies enjoying a play date with dogs of the same breed (Coton de Tulear) on a chilly winter morning. Lots of fluffy fun.
July 6, 2025 at 6:29 AM
My doggies enjoying a play date with dogs of the same breed (Coton de Tulear) on a chilly winter morning. Lots of fluffy fun.
A handful of unqualified Trump appointees are having a disproportionate impact on policy decisions, including Colby at the Pentagon imposing a weapons freeze on Ukraine. This will cost many lives.
www.politico.com/news/2025/07...
www.politico.com/news/2025/07...
Trump allies caught off guard by Pentagon’s Ukraine weapons freeze
The decision left officials on both sides of the Atlantic scrambling to find out how long the pause might last.
www.politico.com
July 3, 2025 at 6:10 AM
A handful of unqualified Trump appointees are having a disproportionate impact on policy decisions, including Colby at the Pentagon imposing a weapons freeze on Ukraine. This will cost many lives.
www.politico.com/news/2025/07...
www.politico.com/news/2025/07...
Trump (79), Netanyahu (75) and Khamenie (86!!) are holding the world ransom. Can Gen X and Gen Z save us? It hasn't happened before sadly.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Trump, Netanyahu and Khamenei – three angry old men who could get us all killed | Simon Tisdall
Whether inept, driven by survival or corrupt, they are unfit to lead their countries, let alone make decisions that imperil the whole world, says Guardian foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdall
www.theguardian.com
June 23, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Trump (79), Netanyahu (75) and Khamenie (86!!) are holding the world ransom. Can Gen X and Gen Z save us? It hasn't happened before sadly.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
This moving segment on PBS Newshour describes first-hand the tragic impact in Kenya of the decimation of USAID. Patients denied HIV medication and vulnerable girls no longer able to access prevention programs.
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
How USAID cuts are impacting the fight against HIV in Kenya
The Trump administration's cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development have had reverberations around the world. The agency, which operated in over 100 nations and employed thousands of peop...
www.pbs.org
June 13, 2025 at 3:58 AM
This moving segment on PBS Newshour describes first-hand the tragic impact in Kenya of the decimation of USAID. Patients denied HIV medication and vulnerable girls no longer able to access prevention programs.
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
I'm an Australian who proudly worked for the US CDC for ten years under three presidents. RFK Jr is destroying a precious American public health resource. Shame on Trump and Congress for appointing him.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
RFK Jr to remove all members of CDC panel advising on US vaccines
Health secretary says he’s getting rid of members sitting on panel of vaccine experts and reconstituting the committee
www.theguardian.com
June 10, 2025 at 5:35 AM
I'm an Australian who proudly worked for the US CDC for ten years under three presidents. RFK Jr is destroying a precious American public health resource. Shame on Trump and Congress for appointing him.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
As another writer said: "This is the SuperBowl of schadenfreude".
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Musk and Trump are enemies made for each other – united in their ability to trash their own brands | Jonathan Freedland
What one did to Twitter and Tesla, the other is doing to the United States of America, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
www.theguardian.com
June 7, 2025 at 3:57 AM
As another writer said: "This is the SuperBowl of schadenfreude".
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
While the focus is on Gaza and Ukraine, the world ignores the desperate plight of Sudanese civilians. In its scale, Sudan is the most severe humanitarian crisis in the world.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...
More than four million refugees have fled Sudan, UN says
The world's most "damaging displacement crisis" is now in its third year, with many survivors facing lack of shelter due to funding shortages, the organisation says.
www.abc.net.au
June 4, 2025 at 12:13 AM
While the focus is on Gaza and Ukraine, the world ignores the desperate plight of Sudanese civilians. In its scale, Sudan is the most severe humanitarian crisis in the world.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...
Please take time our to watch Abraham Verghese give the Harvard Commencement speech. Verghese, an immigrant from Ethiopia, is one of America's most renowned medical academics. His speech reminds us of what made America great and what could now diminish that status.
youtu.be/4mjPt7cZW1k?...
youtu.be/4mjPt7cZW1k?...
Abraham Verghese Delivers the Commencement Address | Harvard Commencement 2025
YouTube video by Harvard University
youtu.be
June 3, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Please take time our to watch Abraham Verghese give the Harvard Commencement speech. Verghese, an immigrant from Ethiopia, is one of America's most renowned medical academics. His speech reminds us of what made America great and what could now diminish that status.
youtu.be/4mjPt7cZW1k?...
youtu.be/4mjPt7cZW1k?...
"One measure of our capacity to love Israel truly is our willingness to be ashamed when it acts shamefully."
www.theage.com.au/world/middle...
www.theage.com.au/world/middle...
When Israel acts shamefully, we Jews must be willing to be ashamed of it
One measure of our capacity to love Israel is our willingness to be ashamed of it when it acts shamefully – not because we hate it, but because we long for it to be better.
www.theage.com.au
May 30, 2025 at 12:27 AM
"One measure of our capacity to love Israel truly is our willingness to be ashamed when it acts shamefully."
www.theage.com.au/world/middle...
www.theage.com.au/world/middle...
"Trump should shut up" and stop enabling the war crimes of the two most hated men in the world--Putin and Netanyahu.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Trump refuses to accept that for Netanyahu and Putin forever war is the only option | Simon Tisdall
The US president thought he could impose peace through sheer personality, but he didn’t reckon with two leaders with so much to lose, says Guardian foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdall
www.theguardian.com
May 26, 2025 at 1:54 AM
"Trump should shut up" and stop enabling the war crimes of the two most hated men in the world--Putin and Netanyahu.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
There are no limits to the lies Trump and his croneys will put forward to defend their corrupt "policies."
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
Trump’s evidence of South Africa ‘white genocide’ contains images from Democratic Republic of Congo
Other images displayed by Trump during meeting with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa were false or misleading
www.theguardian.com
May 23, 2025 at 3:42 AM
There are no limits to the lies Trump and his croneys will put forward to defend their corrupt "policies."
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...