We've had a glimpse into the world of Craig Thomson, but he's trying to justify a view that no one outside the political game can understand.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
The ALP and the union movement have never liked scabs. But yesterday we witnessed a labour scab of a different sort as The Wound Formally Known As Craig Thomson continued to be bleed rather than heal…
Anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor has come off patent and faces tough competition from generic versions.
The.Comedian/Flickr
Anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor® (atorvastatin) has been estimated to generate Pfizer revenues of more than $130bn worldwide. Australian taxpayers' share of this is about $7bn, through subsidies from the…
Encouraging GPs to “on-sell” products to patients is likely to produce unnecessary or inappropriate prescribing.
fuzzirella/Flickr
Swisse Vitamins Pty Ltd has been in the news recently over their Federal Court action to suppress a determination of the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Complaint Resolution Panel (CRP) about a number of…
Intellectually disabled children who undergo the "Ashley procedure" are stunted to prevent the onset of puberty
flickr/visions by vicky
A growing number of parents are seeking the “Ashley Treatment,” a highly experimental medical intervention designed to arrest the physical and sexual development of severely disabled children. This invasive…
On the ninth anniversary of the US-led Iraqi invasion, suicide attacks were used against civilians in Iraq.
EPA/Mohammed Jalil
Suicide attacks and car bombings across Iraq this week have killed at least 43 people and left 255 wounded.
We are sadly now very familiar with the phenomenon of the suicide bomber, but the particular…
The Coalition's election promise controversy highlights the fraught nature of accountancy.
AAP
According to the profession’s code of ethics, “a distinguishing mark of the accountancy profession is its acceptance of the responsibility to act in the public interest.” That is, not exclusively to satisfy…
Being vegetarian saves cows' lives, but threatens the future of other sentient creatures.
nunro
The ethics of eating red meat have been grilled recently by critics who question its consequences for environmental health and animal welfare. But if you want to minimise animal suffering and promote more…
Former rugby league player and convicted match-fixer, Ryan Tandy will likely not play the game again, but who's really to blame?
AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy
By Matthew Beard, University of Notre Dame, Australia
I’m a relatively well-disciplined guy. In my brief time in this world, I’ve managed to complete a degree, quit smoking, and exercise thirty-odd kilos of self-indulgence away.
But if there’s a TV on in…
Bad behaviour isn't cause to ignore these TV shows.
Flickr/Number Stumper
Television loves particular careers: detectives, lawyers, forensic experts and, perhaps most of all, doctors. Popular long-running shows such as House and Grey’s Anatomy join a long list of medical programs…
The foreskin is the most sensitive part of the penis.
Flickr/NoVa Hokie
For centuries, children have been subjected to cultural and medicalised practices that were ultimately proven harmful and a violation of basic bodily integrity. Such practices have included foot binding…
The benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks by 100 to one.
Jeff Dickerson
Medical circumcision of baby boys has plummeted in Australia, with only 20% of male infants now undergoing the procedure, down from 90% in the 1970s.
Meanwhile, HIV infections continue to rise in the…
Universities need to remember why they research: to advance knowledge.
Flickr/Gates Foundation
Steven Schwartz, vice-chancellor of Macquarie University, recently claimed that universities should break from being treated as businesses and recapture their moral purpose.
He used the example of Jonas…
Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd owns 70 per cent of Australia's daily print media
AAP
While “Murdochgate” rolls on, the question of what it means for Australia has inevitably been attracting considerable attention.
In this discussion, News Ltd itself has played a leading role. For those…
Rupert Murdoch holding a copy of The Times, a News International paper
AAP
In little more than two weeks, the long simmering issue of illegal phone hacking at News Corporation’s British newspaper News of the World has developed into a cascading crisis, with fatal results for…
Appearing before a parliamentary committee was "my humblest day" according to Rupert Murdoch
AFP PHOTO/PARBUL
So, after a day of drama at Westminster, what have we learnt, other than the fact that Rupert Murdoch’s wife Wendi packs a mean left hook (future pranksters beware)?
For the best part of six hours we…
An ethical journalistic culture cannot be imposed from above but must develop within a news gathering organisation.
AAP
The handwritten sign hanging on the bereaved family’s door says: “No media". As a reporter, do you knock? Most journalism students yell back a resounding “No".
Okay then, what if the family has a high…
The phones of victims of the London bombings were allegedly hacked by staff at the News of the World.
AFP/Dylan Martine/WPA pool
The British newspaper The News of the World is being investigated over allegations of hacking into the phones of relatives of the victims of the bombings in London in July 2005. It’s also thought those…
