Creation and Evolution Update

It seems that the Creation Ministries International Seminar has been removed from the University of Southern Queensland.
It looks like the CMI had some misleading advertising about the support of the University.
Here is the new advertisement from the CMI, New Advertisement.
I have also received a email from the University.
Email below.

Dear Bruce,

        Your enquiry regarding the creationist ministries event scheduled for 13 November at Hervey Bay has passed on to me. As part of the USQ Fraser Coast’s community engagement activities the campus has always been available to provide facilities whereby various community groups and members of the public might meet around various discussion points. 

         In this case however in making our facilities available it may be perceived that USQ is giving tacit approval to the Creative Ministries discussion titled, Creation and Evolution - scientific evidence, myths and challenges. This is not true and the University has moved quickly to withdraw whatever assistance it was giving with room bookings and that the organisers make alternative arrangements through other community groups better represented to promote and support such activities. The Vice Chancellor of USQ Professor Bill Lovegrove has sent an email to all Fraser Coast staff advising of this decision.

         As you can appreciate while the University supports its role as a leader in community debate which will at times confront contentious issues it does so in the belief that any consideration and deliberation of issues are balanced, impartial and unbiased. In its efforts to encourage community engagement USQ will continue to consider requests from all sections of the public to engage in dialogue on issues of mutual interest. In doing so however all requests will be considered on merit and where equitable, balanced and unprejudiced comment can be given.

Sincerely

Dr Aidan J Burke|Director Corporate Communication
University of Southern Queensland|Toowoomba 4350 |AUSTRALIA

Australasian Skeptics forum

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Called the Australasian Skeptics Forum.
Do drop in and have a geek.
Australasian Skeptics Forum

Creation and Evolution

Creation and Evolution, Scientific evidence, myths and challenges.
This is an alleged university sponsored creation seminar.
The seminar will be at the University of Southern Queensland, Fraser Coast campus Hervey Bay, on Saturday 13th November 2010.
This seminar will have as there only speakers Creation so called scientists.
 They are from the Creation Ministries International, (CMI)
It worries me that the University is sponsoring such a seminar and appearing to promote the fundamentalist Christian view of Creation equally with Evolution.
Evolution is a scientific theory.
Creation or what the Creation Ministries call Creation Science is a religious belief.
I have no problem with a seminar like this, but surely have the other sides views as well.
The CMI of course wants the fundamentalist Christian view of creation taught alongside Evolution in schools and universities.
I have sent an email to the university voicing my concern.
This advertising could be misrepresenting the universities position on this.
I have no problem at all in having such a seminar at a university. But this seminar is only having speakers from CMI.
A balanced debate by creationist and evolution scientists would be a better way for the university to go I would have thought.
But where is the alternative evidence based view. Assuming they are a evidence based university.
They obviously see some money to be made from this venture,
Coming from Queensland, the loony Christian capital of Australia, maybe some creationist at the university has got it going.
We hope not.
I have emailed the Queensland sceptics and the Gold Coast sceptics regarding this seminar. Maybe they can attend and offer a balanced view.

Decision Repurcussions

Well the decision has been made.
Bob Katter went Coalition.
Rob Oakeshot went Labor.
Tony Windsor went Labor.
The conservatives are frothing at the mouth. They feel they have been robbed. They feel because of the primary vote or the two party preferential vote should decide the winner in a hung parliament. They obviously don't realise it is the numbers on the floor that decides government.
I have been listening to radio station 2GB here in Sydney this afternoon and reading the articles and letters in the Daily Telegraph (Terror). The venom towards the independents, Labor and the communist Greens is spilling out copiously. Some people that ring in have no idea. One asked could an appeal to the Governor General be made. Others think that the sky will shortly fall in and all is lost. They don't seem to understand that this can be a very fruitful time for democracy in this country. Maybe for the first time we can overcome the control by the political parties.
What I cannot work out is Bob Katter.
He has made the statements on Q&A on Monday night that the Coalition under John Howard did absolutely nothing for the rural areas. Labor under Kevin Rudd was doing some good work in his electorate of Kennedy. He then went and supported the coalition that has done nothing. He also made the statement when he made known his selection of the coalition, that he would have supported Labor if Kevin Rudd was still PM. Does he mean the policies mean nothing without Kevin. Can't figure that one out.
The Broadband is also taking a hiding to nothing by the conservatives with their scare tactics of big, big debt because of it.
The Conservatives need to accept the decision and get on with life.
The independents obviously have their reasons for going to Labor. I know Tony Windsor was mainly swayed by the Broadband. Not sure what swayed Rob Oakeshot. It was obviously a very close call.
I think Oakeshot and Windsor will get a very hostile reception in their electorates. I hope they have some very good arguments to explain what they have done. To me it was very brave indeed.

Decision has been made

Well finally after over two weeks we have a minority government.
Labor with Julia Gillard as P.M.
I personally think it was a good decision.
Because of
NBN
Price for carbon
Reforms to parliamentary practices
Less power to political parties, they are not there for the countries benefit but for their own short term benefits.
More money for regional and rural areas, long overdue.
Not another 3 or 6 years of conservative sit on their hands inactivity.
What this should sheet home very clearly to the Nats. is that they should leave the coalition. Then after each election they should negotiate with the two major parties for their rural electorates. Unless all they want is a few ministries and the deputy prime minister position. If that is all they want they deserve the irrelevance they have now. They should be fighting hard for their people, in coalition, they are not.

Update on Ezio De Angelis

Here is an alleged reading from Ezio De Angelis from a woman I think from New Zealand.
Her partner died in a motorcycle accident.
About 12 months later she had a couple of psychic readings to try and connect with the spirit of her dead loved one.
I cannot verify if this is true, but makes interesting reading on how psychics operate.
Psychic Reading

Who should the Independents support?

The three independents, Bob Katter, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott face an unenviable task in choosing who to support to govern Australia Federally for hopefully the next three years.
They essentially represent possibly conservative electorates.
They have to, as far as I am concerned, make a decision for Australia, not just their own electorates. They will be under great pressure from all factions, and if what is reported is correct have been under immense pressure from the conservatives to go for the conservatives. Particularly since the other independent, Wilkie has gone Labor and the Greens have supported Labor as well.
They have at their disposal much more information to make an informed decision than any independent has ever had before. This type of transparency should be available to all voters before the election happens, but then again "pigs may fly".
          I will point out who I think they should support and why.
          Philosophically I lean more to Labor. I am not a conservative. So I do have a bias.
          I think the Independents should go for Labor.
          Labor has a good record recently in saving Australia from the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). There is much contention that they spent too much. The conservatives say they would have spent about half of what Labor spent in Stimulus Packages. I am not an Economist so I do not know who is right. I have heard many financial people here and overseas applaud Labor for their stimulus package. But of course some have criticised it as well. In fact I have heard more praise than criticism.
          Labor have a National Broadband Network already started. This network will have integration nationwide. I feel this very fast fibre optic network will thrust the whole of Australia into the 21st century.
The Conservatives plan seems to rely too much on the private sector and is possibly too fragmented. The private sector will not service the sparse rural areas. I do not trust the conservatives to deliver on this.
          Their track record with infrastructure and nation building is woeful. John Howard had eleven years of inactivity, presiding over massive surpluses, and only giving tax cuts back. He wasted this massive surplus just so he could say, "look how good a financial manager I am." He should have not given the tax cuts. He should have started some much needed infrastructure building instead and he would still have had a surplus.
          I am afraid that Tony Abbott is going to be just as inactive as his hero was. We cannot have another eleven years of conservative inertia.
          This now leads me to Tony Abbott and what has happened since the elections.
          Of course first off is the up to eleven billion dollars of black hole in his costings for his policies. No wonder he would not give them to Treasury for costing. He only did this because if he did not the independents would not have supported him. How does this sit with his own tag of being a much better economic manager of the country.
           Then there was the one billion dollar (what Tony thought) clincher of promising Wilkie a brand new Teaching Hospital in Hobart. How did he cost this? How reckless was this? Luckily Wilkie saw through this and rejected it.
          I think Labor will form a more stable government, particularly after July next year when the Greens will have the balance of power in the senate.
          They will also get a carbon price and set up a carbon tax or emission's trading scheme that will get through the senate.
          How the independents will go I do not know. They have taken their time and talked to and looked at a lot of documentation so hopefully will make the best decision for this country.