August 5, 2011

The Census and Question 19

Tuesday 9th of August is Census Night in Australia. Question 19 asks What Is the Person’s Religion? It’s the only optional question.

Skeptics generally do not get involved in mainstream religious matters, preferring to concentrate on pseudoscience, fraud and the paranormal. However, from time to time we react to perceived abuses; examples include teaching Creationism in Science classes, government spending taxpayer’s money on a papal visit, and arguably unconstitutional School Chaplaincy programs at the expense of secular ethics classes.

The Census Form’s Question 19 may well be considered such an abuse. Whether by design or accident, it is almost a text-book example of push-polling in favour of entrenched interest. Our advice, if you believe in the principle of enlightened self-interest, is to answer Question 19 honestly, for yourself and for every member of your household. View More The Census and Question 19

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July 31, 2011

“Mixed Bag” August 2011 Answers

1. a. Matt  b. Jim  c. Dick  d. Chris  e. Sally  f. Dinah  g. Justin

2.  Hourglass / egg timer

3. Lionel Rose

4. Shoes; that he was dead

5. Menzies, McEwen, McMahon

6. 27th

7. Yachting

8. My Fair Lady is by Lerner and Lowe; the others are by Rogers and Hammerstein

9.  Clogged drains

10. Entails  (although SALTINE or ELASTIN might be accepted under some rules!)

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July 22, 2011

Jason Brown on Online Activism

Back in June Jason Brown (who will be well known to listeners of the Skeptic Zone podcast) visited the Vic Skeptics Cafe to talk about online activism.

Online communication and social networking has led to a huge spike in our ability to reach out to the community, both in terms of education and in response to social and political issues

Twitter, Facebook and now Google Plus are offering more and more opportunities for us to spread the word that critical thinking and rationality are the way to go.

Here Jason talks about the Australian Christian Lobby’s attempt to remove a safe sex advertising campaign, and social media’s devastating (to them) response.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pUq8nRroGk]
View More Jason Brown on Online Activism

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July 19, 2011

Cleaning up the Medicine Cupboard

This post is a mixed bag of alternative medicine news featuring the TGA, Dr Ken Harvey, magic bracelets, magic pills and magic spray.

Do you recall our story about the health giving jewellery that could be purchased from Qantas duty free? Dr Ken Harvey put in a complaint to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)’s Complaints Resolution Panel (CRP) about the same. The complaint was upheld; the CRP asked for the withdrawal of advertising.

click full size

A company called Alpha Flight Services Pty Ltd handles the sale of duty free items on Qantas flights.

Alpha Flight Services Pty Ltd also stated that, in response to the complaint, they had “acted promptly to withdraw all promotion of the products online” and had stopped selling the products.

In part the decision says:

The Panel was therefore satisfied that the advertisements contained many claims that had not been verified, were likely to arouse unwarranted expectations, and were misleading. These included the claims that the advertised products could improve heath, improve metabolism, improve or encourage blood circulation, expel toxins, reduce stress, improve sleep, lift alkaline levels in the body, neutralise acidic toxins, return the body to a natural state of balance, enhanced the immune system, reduce stress View More Cleaning up the Medicine Cupboard

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July 4, 2011

SensaSlim Backdown

Dr Ken Harvey at Skeptics of Vic
Dr Ken Harvey

The libel case brought by SensaSlim against Dr Ken Harvey is almost over, with SensaSlim eventually backing down.  The only remaining issue is one of costs.

Dr Ken Harvey says:

Subsequent to the ACCC freezing SensaSlim’s Australian bank account, their lawyers (Kennedys) have withdrawn from the case; an external administrator / liquidator was appointed to take over the company on 30/06/2011; a revised statement of claim was not submitted by the final date allowed by the court (July 1, 2011) and my lawyers will now apply to have the case finally stuck out (and costs awarded) at the next sitting of the defamation list judge on July 11, 2011.

However, this is likely to be a pyrrhic victory as it is very doubtful if any money from the liquidator will be available to pay the costs awarded!

The case has highlighted some fundamental flaws in Australian regulation concerning complementary medicines and the promotion of therapeutic goods which have been the subject of many submissions to recent government enquires. Hopefully, some reforms will emerge.

Cheers

Ken

In further news, the SensaSlim case has made news in the UK.  Dr Capehorn gives his thoughts as to what happened, here.

Dr Ken Harvey
Dr Ken can now take the gag off.
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July 1, 2011

A Skeptic’s Guide to The Scientific Method

This article first appeared as a Vic Skeptics discussion pamphlet. After our recent experiences with Power Balance, Optiderma Skin products, Negative Ion Balance  Jewellery and SensaSlim, it seemed like a timely moment to bring The Scientific Method  front-and-centre. This procedure has been standard now for about two hundred years. That’s why it’s appropriate to have a jaundiced view of anyone claiming remarkable scientific breakthroughs which are not supported by published data. The full range of our discussion pamphlets can be downloaded here:  http://www.skeptics.com.au/resources/educational/  or by clicking on the “Useful Info” link at the top of this page.

“Science is best defined as a careful, disciplined, logical search for knowledge about any and all aspects of the universe, obtained by examination of the best available evidence and always subject to correction and improvement upon discovery of better evidence. What’s left is magic.

And it doesn’t work.”

– James Randi

The term “Scientific Method” is used to describe the way scientific research is designed, performed and reviewed. Good science depends on rigour – strict and unfailing adherence to basic principles.

In simple terms, as a scientist,  you would:

1. Make some observation about something that is going on in the universe. View More A Skeptic’s Guide to The Scientific Method

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