Turning faith into science

There hasn’t been a lot of middle ground in the fiery debate about Australian universities offering courses in the various branches of alternative medicine.

On one side stand the Friends of Science in Medicine — 400 or so doctors and scientists lobbying universities to abandon degrees in “quackery”. On the other, a mass of outraged practitioners and their clients.

Read more...

Parents lobby Victorian Government to ban Bible in classrooms

Parents are stepping up pressure on the Education Department to end religious education in state schools amid claims it is making children isolated and fearful.

A massive billboard has been erected in Bulleen claiming state schools "are not church playgrounds".

Read more...

'Psychic' juror discharged over 'vision'

A juror was discharged from sitting on an arson trial after fears she could be influenced by a vision she had about the fire rather than the evidence.

The Court of Appeal in Brisbane last year upheld an appeal by a man who was jailed for allegedly burning down his house and making a fraudulent claim on his insurance.

However, the Court of Appeal did not release its reasons for upholding the appeal until today.

Read more...

Fighting fact-free journalism: a how-to guide

A growing cohort of commentators has bemoaned the descent of contemporary political “debate” into a largely fact-free zone.

People used to be entitled to their own opinions, but not their own set of facts. In the contemporary spectacle that passes for politics, it appears as though politicians are also entitled to make up their own facts at will.

Read more...

FIRIS Back to School Campaign – Billboard hits on religious discrimination in schools

The new school year is being welcomed by a billboard targeting church missionaries for still being in State schools.

Read more...

Why do our universities teach shonky “magic”?

A few days ago, a group called the Friends of Science in Medicine wrote to the Vice Chancellors of Australian universities, speaking out against the teaching of complementary and alternative medicine in the curriculum. This group consists of more than 400 Australian professors, academics, researchers and scientists who work in biomedicine. I’m one of them – a very junior one.

Read more...