Monday, December 31, 2012

Notes: Tuesday, October 9-Monday, December 31, 2012 (part 2 of 2)

10. "The total fertility rate in Australia for 2011 was 1.88 babies per woman"

The quotation in that headline comes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (A.B.S.) media release "Record number of women over 40 having babies", dated Octoer 25, 2012, numbered 164/2012:

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/latestProducts/3301.0Media%20Release12011

See also the A.B.S. website's web-page for "3301.0 - Births, Australia, 2011":

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3301.0?OpenDocument

The "Births" page to which that web-page links says that "[o]f all births registered in 2011, 66% of births were to parents in a registered marriage".

Labels: demography, families, marriage, social trends

11. "Australia had the most generous public subsidy of assisted reproductive technology in the world, with no restrictions on maternal age, marital status, social health issues such as weight and smoking, or the number of cycles that were payable under Medicare, the spokeswoman[ "for the Department of Health and Ageing"] said."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Medicare cuts mean 1200 babies not conceived, says IVF professor", by Peter Jean and Amy Corderory, dated October 26, 2012, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/medicare-cuts-mean-1200-babies-not-conceived-says-ivf-professor-20121025-2888l.html?skin=text-only

Labels: A.R.T., Medicare

12. "Americans combine the notions of religion and liberty so intimately in their minds that it is impossible to make them conceive of one without the other."

The quotation in that headline, which (quotation) is itself a quotation from Alexis de Tocqueville, comes from the opinion piece "Cup day: a race result with a difference . . .", by Mike Bailey, dated November 4, 2012, downloaded from the Sydney Catholic Weekly's website:

http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/article.php?classID=2&subclassID=81&articleID=11118&class=Comment&subclass=The Bailey Beat with Mike Bailey

(That opinion piece came to my attention via its printing under the same headline, in the same column ("The Bailey Beat with Mike Bailey"), by the same author, on p. 4 of the Sydney Catholic Weekly, November 4, 2012, Vol. 73, No. 4646, published by The Catholic Press Newspaper Company Pty. Ltd.)

Labels: religious liberty, U.S.A.

13. Dr. Furtado on abortion

See the comments section here:

http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=33745

and here:

http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=34070

Labels: Michael Furtado

14. On November 10, 2012, by the Motu Proprio whose incipit is Latina lingua, H.H. The Pope "established the Pontifical Academy for Latin, which will be part of the Pontifical Council for Culture. The new academy will be directed by a president assisted by a secretary, to be appointed by the Pope, and will comprise an academic council. It will supersede the foundation "Latinitas", established by Paul VI with the Chirograph "Romani Sermonis" of 30 June 1976."

On the same Saturday, His Holiness "[a]ppointed Ivano Dionigi and Fr. Roberto Spataro S.D.B., respectively, as president and secretary of the Pontifical Academy for Latin." (These quotations come from the V.I.S. bulletin items "POPE ESTABLISHES PONTIFICAL ACADEMY FOR LATIN" and "OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS", respectively.)

Labels: Benedict XVI. Ratzinger, Latin, Roman Curia

15. "Mr Putin, presenting his first state-of-the-nation speech since his election in March, set out a program of cautious modernisation that he said rejected any foreign interference and which would go hand in hand with a revival of traditional values."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Vladimir Putin outlines vision for Russia's rebirth", by Roger Boyes, dated December 14, 2012, downloaded from (behind the paywall at) The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/vladimir-putin-outlines-vision-for-russias-rebirth/story-fnb64oi6-1226536380363

Labels: Russia, Vladimir Putin

16. A couple of recent examples of G.L.B.T. propaganda:

16.1 "$2.5 million will be committed to sensitivity training for aged care workers"

The quotation in that headlne comes from the article "Call to action as gays go grey", by Dan Harrison, dated December 20, 2012, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/call-to-action-as-gays-go-grey-20121220-2bo5y.html?skin=text-only

See also the earlier posts with my "aged care" label.

Labels: aged care, G.L.B.T.

16.2 "The ADF also said that the Air Force has also introduced diversity handbooks for lesbian, gay and bisexual members and commanders which will rolled out to the rest of the military."

The quotation in that headlne comes from the article "Australian soldiers to march in uniform at Mardi Gras", by Natalie O'Brien, dated December 22, 2012, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/australian-soldiers-to-march-in-uniform-at-mardi-gras-20121222-2bsbv.html?skin=text-only

See also item 1 of this Notes post.

Labels: A.D.F., G.L.B.T.

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Monday in the Octave of Christmas, A.D. 2012
Posted by at 4 comments:
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Notes: Tuesday, October 9-Monday, December 31, 2012 (part 1 of 2)

1. A couple of recent items regarding the death penalty

1.1 "The secular power can, without mortal sin, exercise judgment of blood, provided that it punishes with justice, not out of hatred, with prudence, not precipitation."

The quotation in that headline is an alternative translation to the one found in Denzinger (see the Systematic Index). My proximate source for it is this B.B.C. web-page (which came to my attention via the September 22, 2012 9:54 PM comment by Papalinton in the combox at this blog post by Prof. Feser):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/christianethics/capitalpunishment_1.shtml

and its ultimate source, at least on-line, seems to be Cardinal Dulles's April 2001 First Things article "Catholicism & Capital Punishment":

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/08/catholicism-amp-capital-punishment-21

Labels: death penalty

1.2 "The Mosaic Law specifies 36 offences which carry the death penalty with provision for execution by a variety of means: stoning, burning, decapitation and strangulation."

The quotation in that headline comes from the paper "Reflections on the death penalty on the tenth anniversary of the Bali Bombings", by The Rev. Fr. Frank Brennan S.J. A.O.:

http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/preview.aspx?aeid=33646

Interestingly, Fr. Brennan goes on to mention something which Catholic opponents of the death penalty tend to fail to take into account:
Jesus accepted that the State may impose capital punishment; he himself was subject to such penalty, without his questioning the right of the State to impose such punishment.
(That paper came to my attention via this Catholica thread-starter.)

Labels: death penalty

2. Victoria's abortion laws "are classed as the second worst in the world after China's one baby per family policy."

The quotation in that headline comes from the letter printed under the heading "Abortion", by Robert Bom, on p. 8 (the "Editorial and Letters" page) of the Sydney Catholic Weekly, October 7, 2012, Vol. 71, No. 4642, published by The Catholic Press Newspaper Company Pty. Ltd., available on-line here:

http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/article.php?classID=2&subclassID=5&articleID=10908&class=Comment&subclass=Letters

Labels: abortion, Victoria

3. Fr. Flader on, among other things, Paul VI.'s Apostolic Exhortation Petrum et Paulum Apostolos of February 22, 1967:

http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/article.php?classID=3&subclassID=59&articleID=10892&class=Features&subclass=Question Time

(That article came to my attention via its printing on p. 10, same column, same headline, same author, the Sydney Catholic Weekly, October 7, 2012, Vol. 71, No. 4642, published by The Catholic Press Newspaper Company Pty. Ltd.)

Labels: Paul VI. Montini

4. "The results of the research of recent years, and of the conference, "will be a preliminary inventory of the Council Fathers' archives. This will be fed into an online database which may be consulted free of charge on the website of the Pontifical Council"."

http://www.news.va/en/news/studying-vatican-council-ii-from-the-archives

Labels: Vatican II

5. "THE Bodleian Library has put more than 300,000 rare books online"

Find them here:

http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=0&fromLogin=true&dstmp=1349937982316&vid=OXVU1&fromLogin=true&fromLogin=true

(The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Precious Bodleian manuscripts now just a click away", by Nicola Woolcock, dated October 10, 2012, downloaded from (behind the paywall at) The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/precious-bodleian-manuscripts-now-just-a-click-away/story-fnb64oi6-1226492687379)

Labels: books

6. Ms Devine on the Proud Schools programme

See
  • the article "HETEROSEXIST HIGH[: ]Schoolkids told straight isn't 'norm'", by Miranda Devine, on the front page of the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Wednesday, October 17, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2671, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd., apparently not available on-line
Related material:
  • the Warren (Brown) cartoon, p. 25, ibid.
  • the letters "Foster tolerance not differences", "A valuable program to prevent school thugs", "Time for a reminder to departmental heads", and "We need a broader approach to bullies", p. 56, ibid., and two S.M.S.s in the "TXTTHEEDITOR" column, p. 57, ibid.; neither the letters nor the S.M.S.s are available on-line
  • the letters "Proud Schools goes a step too far for some", "A sense of pride in controversial program", and one in the "SHORTANDSHARP" section with no heading of its own, pp. 104-5, the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Friday, October 19, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2673, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd., not available on-line
The following links lead to web-pages which I found using Google:

http://www.mercatornet.com/family_edge/view/11380

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/children-to-be-taught-39heterosexuality-not-the-norm39-in-australian-school/

http://catefaehrmann.org/2012/10/devines-fear-mongering-out-of-touch-greens/

http://gaynewsnetwork.com.au/news/national/9200-proud-schools-trial-here-to-stay.html

http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/9044/Fear-mongering-over-not-so-straight-school-program.htm

Labels: education, G.L.B.T., Proud Schools

7. "On the Security Council we'll be working for the rights of women and girls - to education, training and jobs, and to maternal and reproductive healthcare. Its what we're already doing in Myanmar, Indonesia and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Our rightful place at the table of world powers", by Sen. The Hon. Bob Carr, dated October 22, 2012, downloaded from the Sydney Daily Telegraph's website:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/our-rightful-place-at-the-table-of-world-powers/story-e6frezz0-1226500165396

(That article came to my attention via its printing with the same headline and author on p. 13 of the Sydney Daily Telegraph of Monday, October 22, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2675, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.)

Labels: abortion, contraception, feminism

8. Some recent items regarding the G.L.B.T. proportion of the population

8.1 "Massive study finds only 3.4% of American adults identify as LGBT"

The quotation in that headline is the headline of an article by Andrew Malcolm, dated October 18, 2012, published at INVESTORS.com:

http://news.investors.com/politics-andrew-malcolm/101812-629809-tiny-fraction-of-americans-publicly-identify-as-lesbian-gay-bisexual-or-transgender-lgbt.htm#ixzz29lG9hrAI

(That article came to my attention via the blog post "Study shows self-identifying homosexuals are actually a very small percent of US population", by The Rev. Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, downloaded from his blog:

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2012/10/study-shows-self-identifying-homosexuals-are-actually-a-very-small-percent-of-population/)

Labels: demography, G.L.B.T.

8.2 "One in 66 Britons is gay or bisexual - NOT one in ten, as previously thought"

The quotation in that headline is the headline of an article by Steve Doughty, dated September 29, 2012, downloaded from the British Daily Mail's website:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2210310/One-66-Britons-gay-bisexual--NOT-previously-thought.html#ixzz283ZfWAIw

and brought to my attention by this True Catholic post:

http://members7.boardhost.com/TrueCatholic/msg/1350435583.html

Labels: demography, G.L.B.T.

9. Some recent items regarding economics and families

9.1 "ABOUT 87,000 families a year will receive a baby bonus worth $3000 instead of $5000 for their second or subsequent children, prompting warnings from welfare groups that the poor would suffer and criticism from the Coalition that it was an attack on larger families. "

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "'Mean, nasty' cut an attack on poor and bigger families", by Patricia Karvelas, dated October 23, 2012, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/treasury/mean-nasty-cut-an-attack-on-poor-and-bigger-families/story-fn59nsif-1226501034300

Labels: economics, families

9.2 Mrs. Shanahan on the Federal Government's agenda to "[f]orce more women into the workforce by skewing all family benefits to working women who put their children in institutional childcare"

See the opinion piece "Baby bonus cut a slap at stay-at-home mums", by Angela Shanahan, dated October 27, 2012, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/baby-bonus-cut-a-slap-at-stay-at-home-mums/story-e6frg6zo-1226504051315

(That came to my attention via the version printed under the same headline, by the same author, on p. 18, "INQUIRER" section, The Weekend Australian, October 27-28, 2012, Second Edition, No. 14949, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited.)

Labels: economics, families

9.3 "ALMOST half of all mothers in two-parent families are back at work before their youngest child turns one"

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Social revolution at work: mums go back to their jobs as reality hits home", by George Megalogenis and Sophie Gosper, dated October 31, 2012, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/in-depth/social-revolution-at-work-mums-go-back-to-their-jobs-as-reality-hits-home/story-fnegj121-1226507043793

See also Mr. Megalogenis's opinion piece "Howard-era baby payments failed to do the job intended", dated November 3, 2012, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/howard-era-baby-payments-failed-to-do-the-job-intended/story-e6frg7ex-1226509430778

(That came to my attention via the version printed under the same headline, by the same author, on p. 24 of the "INQUIRER" section of The Weekend Australian, November 3-4, 2012, First Edition, No. 14955, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited.)

Labels: economics, families

9.4 "The majority of pregnant women take at least two months sick leave from work, according to a new study."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Pregnant women take 'at least two months sick leave' from work, says controversial study", no byline, dated November 7, 2012, downloaded from the Mail Online website:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2228829/Pregnant-women-months-sick-leave-work-says-controversial-study.html

See also the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' press release "BJOG release: New study finds majority of pregnant women require an average of two months additional sick leave from work", published by Caitlin Walsh, dated November 7, 2012:

http://www.rcog.org.uk/news/bjog-release-new-study-finds-majority-pregnant-women-require-average-two-months-additional-sick

and also the British National Health Service article "Pregnant women 'take two months sick leave'":

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/11November/Pages/Pregnant-women-take-two-months-sick-leave.aspx

(That research came to my attention via an article, apparently not available on-line, in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Saturday, November 10, 2012, presumably Vol. 1, No. 2692, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.)

Labels: economics, families, pregnancy

9.5 "Fisher imagined a country in which "every person honestly able and willing to work should be able to earn sufficient to enable him to keep his wife and family in comfort"."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Labor defines itself through the voices of its statesmen", Nick Cater's review of For the True Believers: Great Labor Speeches that Shaped History, dated October 8, 2012, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/labor-defines-itself-through-the-voices-of-its-statesmen/story-fn9n8gph-1226531416233

(That came to my attention via the version printed under the same headline, by the same author, on p. 25 in the "BOOKS" section of the "review" supplement of The Weekend Australian, December 8-9, 2012, First Edition, No. 14985, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited.)

Labels: economics, families

9.6 "WOMEN are being discouraged from returning to work after having children, as tax, childcare costs, and lost government benefits leave some earning as little as 20¢ for every dollar they earn."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Mothers penalised for working", by Stephanie Peatling, dated November 25, 2012, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/mothers-penalised-for-working-20121124-2a00y.html?skin=text-only

Labels: economics, families

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Monday in the Octave of Christmas, A.D. 2012
Posted by at 3 comments:
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Monday, October 8, 2012

Notes: Thursday, August 30-Monday, October 8, 2012

1. On Wednesday, August 29, 2012, Ms Gillard launched "Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development", which is an initiative—reportedly a personal one of hers—for propagating Feminism throughout the Pacific Islands at a cost of $320 million (over a decade) to Australian taxpayers, part of which sum will be spent on "reproductive health (including family planning) education, awareness and service programs".

My source for saying that Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development is a "personal initiative" by The Hon. Jullia Gillard M.P. is the article "PM gets lift on way to raise status of women", by Daniel Flitton, dated August 30, 2012, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/pm-gets-lift-on-way-to-raise-status-of-women-20120829-2512n.html?skin=text-only

My inference that part of that $320 million will be spent on "reproductive health (including family planning) education, awareness and service programs" follows from the identification, in the "PACIFIC LEADERS GENDER EQUALITY DECLARATION" (Annex 1 to the "43rd Pacific Islands Forum Communique"), of "[e]nsur[ing that] reproductive health (including family planning) education, awareness and service programs receive adequate funding support" as one of the "specific national policy actions to progress gender equality in the areas of gender responsive government programs and policies, decision making, economic empowerment, ending violence against women, and health and education"; one can also infer it from Ms Gillard's media release of Wednesday, August 29, 2012 titled "Addressing gender inequality in the Pacific", which says that
We know that violence against women and poor maternal health outcomes persist in this region.

Promoting gender equality is about addressing these injustices. …
See also this AusAID web-page and the downloadable brochure there:

http://www.ausaid.gov.au/Publications/Pages/brochure-pacific-women-development.aspx

and "‘Shaping Pacific development', speech at the Pacific Islands Forum", given by Ms Gillard, Wednesday, August 29, 2012, downloaded from the "Press Office" section of the Prime Ministerial website:

http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/%E2%80%98shaping-pacific-development-speech-pacific-islands-forum

Labels: abortion, contraception, Julia Gillard

2. "Greater Exposure to Sexual Content in Popular Movies Predicts Earlier Sexual Debut and Increased Sexual Risk Taking"

The quotation in that headline is the title of an article (doi: 10.1177/0956797611435529) by Ross E. O'Hara et al. in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science; that article's abstract is available here:

http://pss.sagepub.com/content/23/9/984

(That article came to my attention via Adam Taor's "PULSE" column on p. 5 of the "HEALTH" section of the "WEEKEND PROFESSIONAL" supplement in The Weekend Australian, September 1-2, 2012, First Edition, No. 14901, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited, a version of which column is available on-line, but behind a paywall, here.)

Labels: films, vice

3. "Israel and Taiwan are the biggest national supporters of trips by Australian politicians, recording 44 and 16 partly or fully funded trips respectively."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "All the little extras in an MP's grab-bag", by Stuart Washington, Tom Allard, Lawrence Bull, and Frances Mao, dated September 1, 2012, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/all-the-little-extras-in-an-mps-grabbag-20120831-255mu.html?skin=text-only

(That article came to my attention via the version of it, with the same headline and by the same authors, which was printed on p. 3 of the "News Review" supplement in The Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, September 1-2, 2012, No. 54572, ISSN 0312-6315.)

Labels: State of Israel

4. "only 2 per cent of the population is gay"

The quotation in that headline was attributed to "Andrew Grulich, head of HIV epidemiology and prevention programs at the Kirby Institute at the University of NSW," in the article "Suicide a bigger danger to gays: health experts", by Adam Cresswell, dated September 13, 2012, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/suicide-a-bigger-danger-to-gays-health-experts/story-e6frg8y6-1226472976036

For more on the homosexual proportion of the (Australian) population, see the "Sex in Australia" report in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, April 2003, Volume 27, Issue 2, pp. 103–256, available on-line here, the most relevant—in the present context—parts of which are "Sex in Australia: Sexual identity, sexual attraction and sexual experience among a representative sample of adults" and "Sex in Australia: Homosexual experience and recent homosexual encounters", both of which have Prof. Grulich as one of their co-authors.

(Those "Sex in Australia" U.R.L.s came to my attention via the Frequently Asked Questions page at the Australian Marriage Forum website. (And the Australian Marriage Forum came to my attention via the opinion piece "Gay marriage is not the cure", by Dr. David van Gend, dated Sepember 14, 2012, downloaded from The Australian's website.))

Labels: demography, G.L.B.T.

5. "''When they're younger both men and women tended to aspire to a larger family size. When they were older they tended to revise down their expectations,'' Dr[. Daryl] Higgins[", the deputy director of research at the Australian Institute of Family Studies,"] said."

The quotations in that headline come from the article "Just your average couple: one for mum, one for dad … and none for the country", by Stephanie Gardiner, dated September 14, 2012, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/just-your-average-couple-one-for-mum-one-for-dad-8230-and-none-for-the-country-20120913-25v8x.html?skin=text-only

Labels: contraception, demography, families

6. On recent Russo-American relations

See the article "Russia boots US aid out amid accusations of meddling in elections", by Alan Cullison, dated September 21, 2012, and the comment piece "Vladimir Putin doesn't want to be buddies", by Tony Halpin, also dated September 21, 2012, both downloaded from the The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/russia-boots-us-aid-out-amid-accusations-of-meddling-in-elections/story-fnay3ubk-1226478359601

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/vladimir-putin-doesnt-want-to-be-buddies/story-fnb64oi6-1226478312416

Labels: Russia, Vladimir Putin

7. "When [equally ]well-educated families were compared, marriage lifted a child's chance of avoiding poverty by 75 per cent."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Stability a big factor in poverty", no by-line, p. 15, the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Tuesday, September 18, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2646, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd. That article is not available at the Tele's website, but a longer version of it is available at the British Daily Mail's website under the headline "Growing up with married parents is as important as a good education to escaping poverty", by Simon Caldwell, dated September 16/17, 2012:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2204263/Growing-married-parents-important-good-education-escaping-poverty.html

The report on which those articles are based—"Marriage: America’s Greatest Weapon Against Child Poverty", by Mr. Robert Rector for The Heritage Foundation, dated September 5, 2012—is available here:

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/09/marriage-americas-greatest-weapon-against-child-poverty

See also the LifeSiteNews.com article "Marriage is the most effective weapon to fight child poverty, study finds", by Ben Johnson, dated Thursday, September 13, 2012:

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/marriage-is-the-most-effective-weapon-to-fight-child-poverty-study-finds

Labels: marriage, poverty

8. "Bottle-fed infants experienced a 4.6-fold higher risk of PS[, i.e., pyloric stenosis,] compared with infants who were not bottle-fed."

The quotation in that headline comes from the abstract of a Pediatrics article titled "Bottle-feeding and the Risk of Pyloric Stenosis" (doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-2785) by Camilla Krogh et al. That article is available on-line here:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/08/28/peds.2011-2785

(That article came to my attention via the second item in Adam Taor's "PULSE" column on p. 47 of the "HEALTH" section of the "WEEKEND PROFESSIONAL" section in the "SPORT" pages of The Weekend Australian, September 15-16, 2012, First Edition, No. 14913, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited. According to Dr. Taor, pyloric stenosis is "a narrowing of the opening from the stomach to the first part of the small intestine", and it "can cause severe vomiting." (Apparently, that installment of "PULSE" is not available on-line.))

Labels: breastfeeding

9. "Schools in sex education revolution"

The article "Schools in sex education revolution", by Natasha Bita (national social editor for the Sydney Daily Telegraph (among other newspapers?)), dated September 17, 2012 is available at the Tele's website:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sex-educaction-gets-physical/story-e6freuy9-1226475402901

(It came to my attention via the version of it which was published under the heading "Sex ed revolution in schools", by the same author, on p. 03 of the Sydney Daily Telegraph of Monday, September 17, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2645, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.)

See also the article "Puberty lessons to begin in grade five", no by-line, dated September 17, 2012, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/puberty-lessons-to-begin-in-grade-five-20120917-261yd.html?skin=text-only

Labels: A.C.A.R.A., education, sex ed, vice

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Bridget, Widow, A.D. 2012
Posted by at 2 comments:
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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Notes: Wednesday, August 15-Wednesday, August 29, 2012

1. Miss Edwards on Msgr. O'Kelly's "attack[ on] the Vatican action on the US Leadership Conference of Women Religious"

See "Bishop O'Kelly attacks Vatican intervention on US nuns", Tuesday, August 21, 2012, a post by Miss Kate Edwards at her Australia Incognita blog, available here:

http://australiaincognita.blogspot.com/2012/08/bishop-okelly-attacks-vatican.html

Labels: Greg O'Kelly

2. Msgr. Fisher on an under-discussed injustice involved in legalising so-called Gay marriage:
… What is also unjust is retrospectively to redefine marriage: for that tells those already married that they got married on a false premise; that they were wrong to think they were entering a lifelong and exclusive partnership of a man and woman open to raising children; that we have changed the meaning of their vows to being merely about loving each other, for as long as it lasts. That would be unjust to the many people already married and those who might like to be in the future.
[That quotation comes from the sermon of The Lord Bishop of Parramatta at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta, on Sunday, August 12, 2012, the text of which is available on-line here:
http://www.parra.catholic.org.au/bishop-of-parramatta/most-rev-anthony-fisher-op/the-bishop-s-homilies.aspx/the-homilies-of-bishop-anthony-fisher/homily----marriage-sunday---19th-sunday-of-ordinary-time-year-b--st-patrick-s-cathedral--parramatta-.aspx
(That text came to my attention via its printing under the headline "Kindness, self-sacrifice — not grudges, bullying" on p. 14 of the Sydney Catholic Weekly, Vol. 71, No. 4635, August 19, 2012.)]
Labels: law, marriage

3. More on the Federal Government's policy of giving some of the benefits involved with de ivre marriage to de facto polygamists

See the "Guide to Social Security Law", Version 1.189 (released August 10, 2012), Part 2, Chapter 2.2, Section 2.2.5, 2.2.5.15 Multiple Relationships, from the Australian Federal Government's Department of Families, Housing, Community Services, and Indigenous Affairs, © Commonwealth of Australia 2012, available here:

http://guidesacts.fahcsia.gov.au/guides_acts/ssg/ssguide-2/ssguide-2.2/ssguide-2.2.5/pc_13794.html

(That came to my attention via this blog post by Terra.)

I love the bluntness of that guide:
For example, the relationships could comprise a claimant/recipient with any combination of male or female partners.
See also item 2.1 of this Notes post.

Labels: law, marriage, polyamory

4. "A 1996 study by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology pointed out that an estimated 32,101 pregnancies result from rape in the United States each year"; "[t]he journal said the average national rape-related pregnancy rate stood at five percent among victims aged between 12 to 45."

The quotations in that headline come from the article "Fury over Republican candidate's 'legitimate rape' comment", August 20, 2012, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/us-election/republican-senate-candidate-todd-akin-says-rape-victims-becoming-pregnant-rare/story-fn95xh4y-1226453854274

Labels: pregnancy

5. In Australia, "polling on the topic[ of "same-sex marriage"] began in 2009"

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "MPs to debate same-sex marriage bill", by Jessica Wright, dated August 20, 2012, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/mps-to-debate-samesex-marriage-bill-20120820-24hcy.html?skin=text-only

Labels: G.L.B.T., marriage, opinion polls

6. "A spokesman for Julie Bishop, the opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman, said there was no Coalition policy to change existing arrangements" regarding "Australia's overseas aid assistance for family planning in low-income countries" doubling "to more than $50 million a year by 2016, up from $26 million in 2010 and $2 million under the Howard government"

The quotations in that headline come from the article "Family planning aid vote stirs opposition", by Richard Willingham (though the second quotation comes ultimately from Senator Lee Rhiannon), dated August 17, 2012, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/family-planning-aid-vote-stirs-opposition-20120816-24bgh.html?skin=text-only

There is a difference, of course, between not having a policy to change certain arrangements, and having a policy not to change those arrangements; is it only the former for the Coalition, or is it the latter (and hence the former too, of course, unless the Coalition's policy platform contains an internal contradiction)? (I don't ask that rhetorically.)

Labels: abortion, contraception, Liberal Party, Nationals

7. "as a legislator I[, Kristina Keneally,] always took the view that it[, viz. abortion,] should be safe and legally available"

The quotation in that headline comes from the opinion piece "Democracy has a nice habit of giving lunatic fringe a haircut", by The Hon. Kristina Keneally, dated August 22, 2012, downloaded from the Sydney Daily Telegraph's website:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/democracy-has-a-nice-habit-of-giving-lunatic-fringe-a-haircut/story-e6frezz0-1226455247529

(That opinion piece came to my attention via its printing under the same headline and by the same author on p. 13 of the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Wednesday, August 22, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2623, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.)

It's interesting that Ms Keneally omits from that statement, and indeed from her whole opinion piece, the third part of the usual 'safe, legal, and rare' triad of the moderate abortionite.

Labels: abortion, Kristina Keneally

8. "It is now very difficult to point to any state, territory or federal law where getting legally married makes a difference compared with a same-sex or opposite-sex couple who have lived together in a de facto relationship for two years or more, or who have registered their relationship. As a consequence, the right to marry carries little significance in law other than imposing a need to get a formal divorce before marrying someone else."

The quotation in that headline comes from the opinion piece "About time we all cared more about marriage", by Prof. Patrick Parkinson, dated August 24, 2012, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/about-time-we-all-cared-more-about-marriage-20120823-24p2g.html?skin=text-only

Labels: law, marriage

9. Some figures on childcare in Australia

See Child Care Update, September quarter 2011. Dated August 2012 (presumably released on the twenty-fifth). Produced by the Australian Federal Department of Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations on behalf of the Australian Government and published by the same Department. © Commonwealth of Australia, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-642-78431-5

http://www.deewr.gov.au/Earlychildhood/Resources/Documents/ChildCareUpdateAug.pdf

(That publication came to my attention via the article "Million kids in care 'shows system works'", by Patricia Karvelas, on p. 6 in "THE NATION" section of The Weekend Australian, August 25-26, 2012, First Edition, No. 14895, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited; available on-line, but behind a paywall, under the same headline, by the same author, and dated August 25, 2012, at The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/million-kids-in-care-shows-system-works/story-fn59niix-1226457727663)

Labels: childcare

10. "The head of the Russian Orthodox Church and the president of the Polish Catholic bishops' conference signed a joint message Aug. 17 urging Poles and Russians to set aside centuries of anger and prejudice and work together to maintain their countries' Christian identities."

The quotation in that headline comes from the Catholic News Service article "Russian Orthodox, Polish Catholic leader sign appeal for reconciliation":

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1203472.htm

(That joint message came to my attention via the article "Russian-Polish reconciliation bid", no by-line, on p. 7 of the Sydney Catholic Weekly, August 26, 2012, Vol. 71, No. 4636.)

Zenit has a Vatican Radio translation of the joint message here. The Russian Orthodox Church's Department for External Church Relations (D.E.C.R.) Communication Service says, on this page at the official D.E.C.R. website that the message "cannot be ranked among theological or inter-church documents and does not deal with doctrinal matters".

Labels: R.O.C.

11. Gay activists in new initiative for promoting "healthy, respectful relationships" "in sport and the workplace" between non-Gays and themselves (presumably while remaining in unhealthy, disrespectful relationships with their respective Gay passivists)

See "AFL declares war on homophobia to stamp out ugly slurs", by Aaron Langmaid, dated August 28, 2012, downloaded from the Sydney Daily Telegraph's website:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/afl-to-stamp-out-gay-slurs/story-e6frexx0-1226459402572

(That article came to my attention via the shorter version of it which was published under the headline "Footballers tackle homophobia and save lives", by the same author, on p. 05 of the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Tuesday, August 28, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2628, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.)

Labels: G.L.B.T., No to Homophobia

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of the Decollation of St. John the Baptist, and the feast of St. Sabina, Widow, Martyr, A.D. 2012
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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Notes: Wednesday, August 1-Tuesday, August 14, 2012

1. "the introduction of no-fault divorce, child support payments, anti-discrimination laws, government funding for childcare and a paid parental leave system": Another summary of the victories of Feminism

The quotation in that headline comes from "'Gender tax' a grim reality - Summers", from The Sydney Morning Herald's website, by Stephanie Peatling, dated July 29, 2012:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/gender-tax-a-grim-reality--summers-20120728-232te.html

Labels: feminism

2. "New data from last year's census shows that women aged 40-44 years in 2011 were nearing the end of their reproductive years with 1.99 children each", which "makes them the first cohort of women to reach this age group with fewer than two children on average"

The quotation in that headline comes from "Second child one too many for career mums, census figures show", from The Australian's website, by Patricia Karvelas, dated June 30, 2012:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/two-kids-proves-too-many-for-career-mums-census-figures-show/story-fn59niix-1226412748535

(That article came to my attention via the version of it which was published as "Second child one too many for career mums", by the same author, pp. 1 and 7, The Weekend Australian, June 30-July 1, 2012, Second Edition, No. 14849, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited.)

Labels: demography, families, social trends

3. "I[, Christine Forster,] want you to know I'm a small 'l' liberal and a big 'L' Lesbian"

The quotation in that headline comes from "Ready, steady, creditors", from The Sydney Morning Herald's website, by Margot Saville, dated July 28, 2012:

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/private-sydney/ready-steady-creditors-20120727-23049.html?skin=text-only

(That article came to my attention via the version of it which was published as "A Moore or less worthy line-up", by Margot Saville, the "PS PRIVATE SYDNEY" section of p. 22, The Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, July 28-29, 2012, No. 54542, ISSN 0312-6315.)

Labels: Christine Forster, G.L.B.T.

4. The findings of some research into tiredness among mothers up to eighteen months after giving birth

"Physical Health and Recovery in the First 18 Months Postpartum: Does Cesarean Section Reduce Long-Term Morbidity?", by Dr. Hannah Woolhouse et al., in the journal Birth, DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-536X.2012.00551.x; the article was first published on-line on July 3, 2012, and some information on it is available here:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-536X.2012.00551.x/abstract

See also "New mums struggle with exhaustion for months", from the Sydney Daily Telegraph's website, by Susie O'Brien, dated July 31, 2012:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/new-mums-struggle-with-exhaustion-for-months/story-fndo2dsc-1226438890073

(which came to my attention via the version of it which was published as "DREAMING OF SLEEP", no by-line, p. 03, the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Tuesday, July 31, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2606, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.) and also the press release "One in five new mothers experiencing exhaustion", from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute website, dated July 31, 2012:

http://www.mcri.edu.au/news/2012/july/one-in-five-new-mothers-experiencing-exhaustion.aspx

Labels: economics, families

5. Mr. Palmer is "[a] practising Catholic who says he attends Mass weekly"

The quotation in that headline comes from "Thoughts of Chairman Clive", from The Sydney Morning Herald's website, by Deborah Snow, dated August 4, 2012:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/thoughts-of-chairman-clive-20120803-23ks6.html?skin=text-only

(That article came to my attention via the version of it which was published as "LUNCH WITH CLIVE PALMER", "Thoughts of Chairman Clive", by the same author, p. 5 of the "News Review" supplement in The Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, August 4-5, 2012, No. 54547, ISSN 0312-6315.)

Labels: Clive Palmer

6. "It is the first time that a prime-time Aussie drama[, viz. House Husbands,] has featured a gay couple raising a child."

The quotation in that headline comes from "Grantley brings down house in new role", from the Sydney Daily Telegraph's website, by Siobhan Duck, dated August 6, 2012:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/tv/grantley-brings-down-house-in-new-role/story-e6frexlr-1226443410397

(That article came to my attention via the version of it which was published as "Gyton's new role is a gay change of pace", by the same author, p. 10, the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Monday, August 6, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2611, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.)

Labels: G.L.B.T., House Husbands, social trends

7. Some points of interest from "Call for free abortions as needy women priced out of procedure", from The Sydney Morning Herald's website, by Adele Horin, dated August 6, 2012:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/call-for-free-abortions-as-needy-women-priced-out-of-procedure-20120805-23o1u.html?skin=text-only
  • Women receive a Medicare rebate for terminations but out-of-pocket costs are high for many.
  • Marie Stopes International (Australia), the local arm of a worldwide, not-for-profit women's health service, runs 15 clinics, including five in NSW.
  • For women on Centrelink benefits with a healthcare card, the out-of-pocket cost of a surgical abortion starts at about $340 under 12 weeks' pregnancy and rises with each week to about $610 at 14 weeks and $1365 at 19 weeks.
  • A $30,000 fund from the Bessie Smyth Foundation was used for several years to subsidise abortions for poor women and to provide advice and referrals. But the funds, derived from the sale of an abortion clinic, ran out at the end of 2007. Attempts to secure government assistance failed.
  • Ms[ Margaret] Kirkby[, "spokeswoman for the Women's Abortion Action Campaign",] said NSW was the only big state to lack a government-funded information and referral service, similar to Queensland's Children by Choice.
Labels: abortion

8. Mr. Muehlenberg on the aims of Gay and Lesbian activists

"When the Activists Spill the Beans", by Bill Muehlenberg, dated August 1, 2012:

http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2012/08/01/when-the-activists-spill-the-beans/

Labels: education, G.L.B.T., marriage

9. A. N. "Wilson is among those to see in Hitler the triumph of enlightenment or scientific rationalism; the enlightenment's tool of abstraction is fundamentally dehumanising and what Wilson describes as the "reverence for the starry heavens above us and the moral law within" do not register with it. Wilson is also right when he explains Hitler as a thoroughgoing creature of modernity from his appropriation of technology to his anti-clericalism."

The quotation in that headline comes from "Accidental dictator of Wagnerian scale", from The Australian's website, by Baron Alder reviewing A. N. Wilson's Hitler: A Short Biography, dated August 11, 2012:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/accidental-dictator-of-wagnerian-scale/story-fn9n8gph-1226446807405

(That review came to my attention via the version of it which was published under the same headline and by the same author, pp. 24-25, the "review" supplement of The Weekend Australian, August 11-12, 2012, Second Edition, No. 14883, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited.)

Labels: Adolf Hitler

10. More on a new initiative for propagating the Darwinist worldview

Following are some points of interest from "Thinking big", from The Australian's website, by Bernard Lane, dated August 11, 2012:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/thinking-big/story-e6frg8h6-1226444008323

(That article came to my attention via the version of it which was published under the same headline and by the same author on pp. 20-23 of The Weekend Australian Magazine, inserted in The Weekend Australian, August 11-12, 2012, Second Edition, No. 14883, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited.)
  • This is Big History, a bold attempt to create the first universal syllabus of history, able to be taught anywhere in any language. It starts with the Big Bang and compresses 13.7 billion years into a one-year course. Kids encounter space dust before humans, and Homo sapiens before the warring tribes of French, Germans or Australians. Its mission is to try to explain the remarkable success, and looming problems, of the human race. To do this, the course zooms in for "Goldilocks" moments, when conditions are just right for, say, farmers to edge out hunter-gatherers or for the scientific revolution to make things awkward for the Church. Big History is a storyteller's pitch to the imagination of kids otherwise turned off by school. It's an attempt to surprise them into critical thinking as they piece together fields of knowledge typically disjointed across the curriculum.
  • "The response of many historians and anthropologists has been to think that the big picture itself is toxic," [Prof. David ]Christian[, Big History's author,] says. "That's completely wrong; we desperately need the grand narrative." If classrooms serve up only fragmented pieces of the story, he says, students will look elsewhere. "Why is creationism alive and well in the States? Smart students want the big picture, they go to their church and someone is offering the big picture. It's a big mistake for people in the sciences and humanities not to look for what unifies modern knowledge."
  • On his blog, [Bill ]Gates turned evangelist: "My favourite course of all time is called Big History, taught by David Christian. Big History literally tells the story of the universe, from the very beginning to the complex societies we have today. It shows how everything is connected to everything else. It weaves together insights and evidence from so many disciplines into a single, understandable story
  • Gates sought out Christian, who happened to be teaching in the US and was on the point of returning to Macquarie. It was a meeting of like minds, at the end of which Gates declared that Big History really ought to be taught in school. "I'd thought that for years," Christian says. The historian and the businessman-turned-philanthropist joined forces in the Big History project, which is run out of a small office in Seattle, Washington. They hope to have the first universal history syllabus available free online towards the end of next year.
  • Today it's origin stories or creation myths, those grand, improbable narratives spun by peoples to explain how their civilisations came to be. "It gives you a broader perspective, and makes you realise one person's perspective isn't everything," says [one of the pupils taking the course].
  • In creationist circles, his course may seem, well, unChristian. The project website highlights the conflict even as it seeks to defuse it: "Big History takes up the same profound questions that many religions wrestle with - how the universe, Earth and humanity came to be. The course offers explanations for these questions based on scientific evidence, which we consider important for all students to understand independent of their religious views." So far, the project says creationism hasn't been an obstacle.
  • [Big History] got approval in NSW as a philosophy course, a story in itself and one to do with curriculum politics. The traditional subjects may stay but [Bernie ]Howitt's hunch is that Big History kids will approach them differently, with a sharper eye for evidence. "We were doing origin stories and one of the girls - she's a B-stream kid - asked me, 'How can people believe in religion if you're using all this evidence?' I said, 'That's the idea of faith.' I can't see what's going on in their heads but for her to ask that question shows me that the idea of thinking critically is starting to permeate."
See also item 6 of this Notes post.

Labels: David Christian, education, evolution, history, secularism

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Vigil of the Assumption of Our Lady, and the feast of St. Eusebius, Confessor, A.D. 2012
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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Notes: Tuesday, July 17-Tuesday, July 31, 2012

1. A couple of points of interest from "Partnership of dioceses leads to witness in schools", by Tracey Edstein, on p. 6 of the June 2012 issue (No. 114) of Aurora, the magazine of The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

(It's available from that Diocese's website, and came to my attention via the version published under the headline "Catholic, Anglican bishops renew tri-diocesan pact" on p. 21 in the "Regional Round-up" section of the Sydney Catholic Weekly, Vol. 71, No. 4624, June 3, 2012.)

1.1 An amusing definition of ecumenism

by The Lord Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle (though His Lordship disagrees with it):
Our ecumenical people meet with your ecumenical people and we have a lovely time together!
Labels: ecumenism

1.2 Msgr. Wright's "message of Christian care and service rather than a message of belief or conversion"

This is the last paragraph of that article:
A feature of the Service of Worship was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, giving expression to the Covenant through a pastoral care partnership. This partnership sponsors and supports Chaplains/Pastoral Care Workers in the schools of the regions served by the three dioceses. Bishop Bill said, "It is our prayer that through this ministry, students, their families and school staffs will come to experience the loving compassion of Jesus Christ: a message of Christian care and service rather than a message of belief or conversion."
Labels: Bill Wright

2. Some links to reports which contain recent Papal mentions of the Second Vatican Council or its Catechism or both

http://www.news.va/en/news/presentation-of-the-year-of-faith

http://www.news.va/en/news/papal-message-closes-fiftieth-international-euchar

http://www.news.va/en/news/blessed-are-the-peacemakers

http://www.news.va/en/news/the-church-must-preach-truth-and-justice

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-recalls-time-as-conciliar-expert-in-nemi

Labels: C.E.C., Vatican II

3. "Obama admin video tells Pentagon ‘Being gay isn’t about sex; it’s about life’"

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/obama-admin-video-tells-pentagon-being-gay-isnt-about-sex-its-about-life

(That article came to my attention via this AQ post of it.)

I log that quotation in relation to the observation by the Australian Gay activist Prof. Dennis Altman that
The greatest single victory of the gay movement over the past decade has been to shift the debate from behavior to identity, thus forcing opponents into a position where they can be seen as attacking the civil rights of homosexual citizens rather than attacking specific and (as they see it) antisocial behavior.
[http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2008/05/01/on-relationship-recognition/]
Labels: Dennis Altman, G.L.B.T.

4. On some recent developments regarding 'family planning'

4.1 "the Foreign Affairs Minister, Bob Carr, said Australia would double its overseas aid for family planning programs to more than $50 million a year by 2016"; "[a]t least $70 million over the next four years will go to the United Nations Population Fund to promote equitable access to family planning", and "[a]n extra $10 million will be given to the International Planned Parenthood Federation program to ensure people caught in disasters can gain access to reproductive health services." Furthermore, a "London conference, organised by the British government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is set to refocus on the issue and garner $2 billion in pledges by 2020."

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/focus-on-family-planning-as-carr-doubles-foreign-aid-20120711-21wdw.html?skin=text-only

See also "Abortion aid 'won't help save lives of mothers in childbirth'", by Damir Govorcin, p. 7, the Sydney Catholic Weekly, Vol. 71, No. 4631, July 22, 2012, apparently available on-line, but behind a paywall, here; the following is my transcription:
Mr[ Paul] Hanrahan[, executive director of Family Life International, "Australia's largest Catholic pro-life org-anisation"] said the Rio +20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development held in Brazil recently failed to deliver what the population controllers wanted - a univer-sal 'right' to abortion.
"Obviously, the 'major fam-ily planning summit' in Lon-don which Mr Carr will at-tend, is a pathetic attempt to carry out the Rio + 20 agenda by a circuitous route, via friendly diplomats and gov-ernments, mainly in the West-ern world," he said.
Labels: contraception

4.2 "The British government is pledging to double its efforts on family planning, raising its spending from £90 million ($137 million) a year to £180 million."

http://www.smh.com.au/world/faith-in-contraception-puts-gates-on-collision-course-with-the-vatican-20120712-21yx7.html?skin=text-only

Labels: contraception

5. "The 2011 annual surveillance report into HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia, compiled by The Kirby Institute at the University of NSW" says that while "HIV transmission primarily occurred through sexual contact between men, about 25 per cent occurred through heterosexual contact."

http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/hiv-no-longer-means-certain-death-20120714-222rn.html?skin=text-only

Labels: G.L.B.T., H.I.V./A.I.D.S.

6. The text of an interview with Msgr. Di Noia

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/the-vatican/detail/articolo/society-of-st-pius-x-di-noia-16482/

(That came to my attention via this AQ post of it.)

Labels: Augustine Di Noia

7. Mr. Copland—"the political editor of ACT queer magazine FUSE" and "the convenor of the ACT Greens"—on "an ongoing problem with the queer movement where people[ such as polyamorists] who don’t fit into the mainstream queer mould are being excluded from the debate, with claims that they are ruining our chances to reach equality"

http://www.starobserver.com.au/opinion/soapbox-opinion/2012/06/14/we-need-to-return-to-our-liberation-roots/79005

(That came to my attention via this Australian article.)

Labels: G.L.B.T., polyamory

8. The Statement, given at Ecône, on July 14, 2012, of the General Chapter of The Society of St. Pius X. to Rome

http://www.dici.org/en/news/society-of-st-pius-x-general-chapter-statement/

The Statement has also been posted on the "Announcements" page of the S.S.P.X.'s District of Australia website.

Labels: S.S.P.X.

9. Dr. Feser on, among other things, how he "came to see that existing naturalistic accounts of language and meaning were no good"

http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/road-from-atheism.html

See also this interview with Dr. Feser, which came to my attention via the version published as "New Atheism 'is devoid of moral, intellectual merit'", "A conversation with Dr Edward Feser, university professor, author, philosopher and former atheist", by Damir Govorcin, on pp. 11 f. in the "Connections" section of the Sydney Catholic Weekly, Vol. 71, No. 4631, July 22, 2012.

Labels: languages

10. "Men work twice as long as women in paid employment; women work twice as long as men in unpaid employment at home."

http://www.smh.com.au/national/statistics-confirm-its-still-a-mans-world-20120727-22zki.html?skin=text-only

(That article came to my attention via the version published as "Statistics confirm it's still a man's world", by Tim Colebatch "with Andrew Stevenson", p. 10, "News" section, The Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, July 28-29, 2012, No. 54542, ISSN 0312-6315.)

Presuambly the source for the quotation in that headline is ultimately the "Engagement in work (employment related and unpaid)" page at the website of The Australian Bureau of Statistics (A.B.S.), where it says that
While in 2006 males spent nearly twice as long as females on employment related activities, females on average spent nearly double the time spent by males on primary activities associated with unpaid work.
and proximately the A.B.S.'s media release "Men fare worse than women in education, health and crime", July 27, 2012, which has a link to the "Gender Indicators" page, which in turn has a link to a "Time use" page (in the context of "Work and Family Balance"), where there is a link to the ultimate source.

Labels: work

11. Mr. Creighton on the intentions of the Federal Government's childcare policies:
JUDGED by its intentions, the Australian government's childcare policies are superb.

"Gone are the days when this sector was considered a babysitting service," trumpeted Childcare Minister Kate Ellis this week, as she foreshadowed $22.3 billion of spending on early childhood services over the next four years.

[… ]According to the federal government, that money aims to ensure "nurturing, culturally appropriate, safe and socially inclusive" care for children in "approved childcare services", whose parents in turn enjoy "workforce participation choices".
[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/broken-puzzle-of-childcare/story-fn59niix-1226431226541]
(That article came to my attention via its publication under the same headline ("Broken puzzle of childcare"), by the same author (Adam Creighton), on p. 15 in the "Inquirer" section of The Weekend Australian, Second Edition, No. 14866, ISSN 1038-8761, July 21-22, 2012, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited.)

Labels: childcare

12. Mr. Unwin on historical Masonic influence in Manitoba, Canada:
I spend my final evening creeping through the corridors of the Manitoba Legislative Building. Built between 1913 and 1920 by British architect Frank Worthington Simon, this grand edifice is the ultimate monument to Winnipeg's good times. My guide is local author Frank Albo, whose bestselling Hermetic Code unlocks a world of occult mystery smuggled into the architecture.

"Everything is hidden in plain view," he tells our wide-eyed tour group as he reveals Masonic codes, hieroglyphic inscriptions and an intriguing hotchpotch of Christian and pagan symbolism.

Manitoba's legislators (all Freemasons, it turns out) believed they were reconstructing nothing less than Solomon's Temple amid the prairies. It's gripping stuff. But what really catches my eye are the two magnificent stone bison either side of the great marble steps to the upper chamber - a Manitoban take on the totemic wild boars of classical temples.
[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/holiday-at-the-heart/story-e6frg8rf-1226430230929]
(That article came to my attention via the version published under the same headline ("Holiday at the heart"), by the same author (Mike Unwin), on p. 8 of the "Travel & Indulgence" supplement of The Weekend Australian, Second Edition, No. 14866, ISSN 1038-8761, July 21-22, 2012, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited.)

Labels: Freemasons

13. "A study published in medical journal Psychosomatic Medicine found mums and dads were 52 per cent less likely to catch a cold compared to those couples without children", "[a]nd the bigger the family, the better mum and dad's odds of staying healthy, research by Carnegie Mellon University found."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/parents-less-likely-to-catch-their-childs-cold/story-e6freuy9-1226422949125

(That article came to my attention via the version published under the same headline ("Parents less likely to catch their child's cold"), by the same authors (Lisa Power and Samantha Malagre), on p. 07 of the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Vol. 1, No. 2589, ISSN 1038-8745, Wednesday, July 11, 2012, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.)

Labels: families, health

14. "Secret minutes of a meeting on June 30 also revealed that the leadership of the Australian Young Greens party wanted to push for a public debate on polyamorous marriage, which allows people to have several wives or husbands."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/greens-caught-recruiting-youth-on-refugee-issue/story-fnejm6bt-1226423536728

(That article came to my attention via the version published under the headline "Greens use refugees as lure", by the same author (Simon Benson), on p. 11 of the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Vol. 1, No. 2589, ISSN 1038-8745, Wednesday, July 11, 2012, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.)

Labels: Greens, polyamory

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Confessor, A.D. 2012
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Monday, July 16, 2012

Notes: Tuesday, June 26-Monday, July 16, 2012 (part 2 of 2)

14. On July 5, 2012, H.M. The Queen installed H.R.H. The Duke of Cambridge as a(n Extra, or Royal) Knight of the Thistle

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/prince-william-made-a-knight-of-the-thistle/story-fnddckzi-1226418553981

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-william/9378595/Queen-makes-Prince-William-Knight-of-the-Thistle.html

http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/newsandgallery/news/the_duke_of_cambridge_is_installed_as_a_knight_of_the_order__1146487589.html

See also the Court Circular of that date.

July 5 was the date of His Royal Highness's installation as a Knight of the Thistle, but May 29, 2012 was the date of Her Majesty's appointment of The Earl of Strathearn (as His Royal Highness is known when in Scotland) to the Order.

(The installation came to my attention via the publication of a photo with a three-line caption and the heading "Another feather in the cap for royals" on p. 31 in the "WORLD" section of the Sydney Daily Telegraph of Friday, July 6, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2585, ISSN 1038-8745.)

Labels: Order of the Thistle, William Wales

15. The Directoire "sent Napoleon to conquer Egypt. … The most enduring result of the Egyptian adventure was the enormous impetus it gave to modern Egyptology … and the fashion for Egyptian designs, which became an important component of the Empire style."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/napoleonic-adventures-at-the-national-gallery-of-victoria/story-fn9n8gph-1226417034133

(That article came to my attention via its publication as "Napoleonic adventures", Christopher Allen's review of the "Napoleon: Revolution to Empire" exhibit at The National Gallery of Victoria, on pp. 11-13 of the "VISUAL ARTS" section of the "review" supplement in The Weekend Australian, July 7-8, 2012, Second Edition, No. 14854, ISSN 1038-8761; the quotation was on p. 12.)

Labels: Egypt, Napoleonic Empire

16. "it appears that most jurisdictions that have legislated for gay marriage have first provided for civil unions, including the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Norway and Canada."

http://www.smh.com.au/national/its-all-about-commitment-20120706-21lxv.html?skin=text-only

(That article came to my attention via its publication as "THE ESSAY", under the heading "It's all about commitment", by The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull M.P., in the "News Review" supplement, p. 13, The Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, July 7-8, 2012, No. 54524, ISSN 0312-6315.)

Labels: civil unions

17. "In the 1980s, Australian state and territory governments began amending legislation to provide de facto couples with similar rights to married couples, and from the end of the 90s they began to extend these rights to same-sex de facto couples to remove discrimination based on sexual orientation in relationships."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/children-the-victims-in-minefield-of-same-sex-marriage-breakdowns/story-fn8v83qk-1226403491438

Labels: law

18. "Families do their own planning"

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/families-do-their-own-planning/story-fnbkvnk7-1226414994128

Labels: contraception

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, A.D. 2012
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Notes: Tuesday, June 26-Monday, July 16, 2012 (part 1 of 2)

1. Some facts and figures regarding paid parental leave

"Paid parental leave and flexible working paying dividends for employers", a media release dated June 19, 2012 from Diversity Council Australia, available for download from this web-page:

http://www.dca.org.au/News/All/Paid-parental-leave-and-flexible-working-paying-dividends-for-employers/267

(That research came to my attention via an article entitled "Parental leave boosts retention", with no byline, in a column headed "WORKOUT", p. 1, "Weekend Professional" section, "Weekend Professional" supplement, The Weekend Australian, June 23-24, 2012, First Edition, No. 14843, ISSN 1038-8761, apparently not available on-line.)

Labels: leave

2. "Australians may play it[, i.e., God Save The Queen] and sing it whenever they wish"

That quotation comes from a letter, by Sir David Smith K.C.V.O. A.O., under the heading "Our royal anthem", published at The Australian's website here:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/our-royal-anthem/story-fn558imw-1226405956092

(That letter came to my attention via its publication, under the same heading, on p. 23 ("Letters to the Editor"), "Commentary" section, "Inquirer" pages, The Weekend Australian, June 23-24, 2012, First Edition, No. 14843, ISSN 1038-8761.)

Labels: God Save The Queen

3. "The Catholic Herald’s Online Archive is ready to go!"

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2012/06/the-catholic-heralds-online-archive-is-ready-to-go/

Labels: media

4. "Women working longer hours 'have smaller babies'"

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/women-working-longer-hours-have-smaller-babies/story-fnb64oi6-1226411078461

Labels: pregnancy, work

5. Some facts and figures, from the 2011 Census, on "Same-sex Couple Families"

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2071.0main+features852012-2013

(That came to my attention via the comment of 2.7.12 / 4pm by one Peter Baade in the comments section of this post by Mr. Muehlenberg.)

Labels: demography, G.L.B.T.

6. "Homiletic and Pastoral Review online"

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2012/06/homiletic-and-pastoral-review-online/

Labels: media

7. The Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts was "created by John Paul II in 1988 to replace the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of the Decrees of the Second Vatican Council, created by Paul VI in 1967."

http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/2012-0615-ferrara-vatileaks.htm

(That article came to my attention via its posting at AQ here.)

Labels: Roman Curia

8. Ireland's "Minister for Justice Alan Shatter (FG) said it was possible that if a priest or a bishop was prosecuted under withholding of information legislation they might claim entitlement to some form of privilege. However, the legal basis for such a claim no longer held, as the special position of the Catholic church had been removed from the Constitution. If such a claim was based on freedom of religion, the courts might be called on to decide the issue."

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0613/1224317819220.html

(That article came to my attention via its posting at AQ here.)

See also

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2012/06/15/the-irish-government-is-going-to-make-it-a-criminal-offence-for-a-priest-not-to-tell-the-gardai-when-a-sex-offender-confesses-his-crime-i-say-bring-it-on/

(That article was highlighted here at Coo-ees and here at CathNews.)

Labels: Alan Shatter, Ireland, Sacraments

9. H.H. The Pope has appointed "Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia, O.P., secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, as vice president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei"" and has appointed "Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller of Regensburg, Germany, as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and as president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and of the International Theological Commission, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop."

http://www.news.va/en/news/other-pontifical-acts-189

http://www.news.va/en/news/other-pontifical-acts-192

See here for some commentary by Fr. Roberts.

Labels: Roman Curia

10. "A Californian politician is pushing legislation to allow a child to have more than two parents."

http://www.smh.com.au/world/and-baby-makes-four-20120703-21fdk.html?skin=text-only

Labels: birth certificates

11. "A survey by pollster IFOP said gays in France make up 6.5 per cent of the electorate, compared with practising Cath-olics at 6.5 per cent."

I transcribed that quotation from the article "Freedom for French gays", no byline, on p. 21 in the "WORLD" section of the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Thursday, July 5, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2584, ISSN 1038-8745. A longer version of that article is available here:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/france-to-allow-gay-couples-to-marry-and-adopt-children/story-fn6b3v4f-1226416737223

Labels: demography, France, G.L.B.T.

12. R.I.P. Mr. Abney-Hastings (The (14th) Earl of Loudoun)

http://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/the-jerilderie-man-who-could-have-been-king-20120705-21jwz.html?skin=text-only

Labels: Michael Abney-Hastings

13. "In the most recent ABS report on social trends, it was noted children are financially dependent on their parents until 24 in Australia."

That quotation comes from "[s]ocial researcher Mark McCrindle", quoted in the article "Techie teens are the biggest wallet strain", by Phil Jacob and Nathan Klein, dated June 29, 2012, downloaded from here:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/techie-teens-are-the-biggest-wallet-strain/story-e6freuy9-1226411559024

(That article came to my attention via its publication under the same heading and by the same authors on p. 09 of the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Friday, June 29, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2579 (presumably, though I could find neither volume nor number stated in the paper), ISSN 1038-8745.)

Labels: demography, economics

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, A.D. 2012
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