Adults can help children cope with death by understanding how they process it

May 17, 2016 02:54 am UTC| Insights & Views Life

Our society is death-phobic, a particularly harmful trait when it comes to helping children process the death of someone close to them. Adults often feel uncomfortable discussing death with children. They might consciously...

Organised religion must join the fight against homophobia

May 16, 2016 23:56 pm UTC| Insights & Views Life

Established in 2004, the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia seeks to raise global awareness of the discrimination which many millions of people continue to suffer simply on the grounds of their...

Why public funding of the arts should always be temporary

May 16, 2016 23:54 pm UTC| Insights & Views Life

Last Friday, the Australia Council announced what it called a $112 million investment over four years to focus on small and medium sized arts companies. Lets skip past the misleading polly-speak use of the word investment...

Reading for moral self-improvement or therapy can occasionally feel a little grim

May 16, 2016 13:12 pm UTC| Insights & Views Life

This weeks Sydney Writers Festival not only celebrates the art of writing, but the art of reading. Of course, it is difficult not to worry that this might be because the art of reading that is, deep, critical,...

How dogs find their way home (without a GPS)

May 16, 2016 12:52 pm UTC| Life

Animals ability to navigate long distances has long been shrouded in mystery. From the skill of racing pigeons to find their way home, to the seasonal breeding migration of the humpback whale, a huge range of creatures are...

Moving house can make you healthier, happier – and greener, too

May 13, 2016 11:02 am UTC| Life

The vast majority of people in the UK still commute to work by car rather than by using public transport or cycling. Obviously this has serious consequences for the environment: cars are a major source of greenhouse gas...

Good tests make children fail – here's why

May 13, 2016 10:24 am UTC| Health Life

Many parents and teachers are critical of the Standardised Assessment Tests (SATs) that have recently been taken by primary school children. One common complaint is that they are too hard. Teachers at my sons school sent...