Unfortunately similar in Canada, where rational discussion of the ME is often difficult. At universities, where everyone should be seeking truth and viewing all sides of a question, the situation is particularly frustrating. Those attempting to present a view on one of the side have often been shouted down and university authorities have too often gone along with that, rather than standing up for open discussion. (I think everyone has a right to speak up and be heard, and found to be brilliant or foolish.) At one university (that I am aware of, I am sure some others are as bad) it has been so bad over the past couple of decades that I told my kids it is the one school where I could not support them going and would not pay their tuition fees. . . . . . . . . Now back to our regularly scheduled APOD (Australians Patrolling Our Desert?)