Notes: Tuesday, May 6-Thursday, July 31, 2014 (part 2 of 4)

5. "the OECD has found that paid parental leave beyond 20 weeks “appears to have a negative effect on female participation”"

The quotation in that headline comes from the opinion piece "Abbott has dug himself into a hole over paid parental leave", by Dr. Anne Summers A.O., dated May 5, 2014, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/abbott-has-dug-himself-into-a-hole-over-paid-parental-leave-20140505-zr4r4.html?skin=text-only

(Originally, I was also going to quote Dr. Summers regarding her statement in that opinion piece that women who earn less than the minimum wage would be worse off under The Hon. Tony Abbott M.P.'s paid maternity leave plan compared to the current one (because the current one pays the minimum wage to those women, whereas Mr. Abbott's scheme would pay them, so Dr. Summers thought, only their pre-leave level of income) but it turns out that Dr. Summers was mistaken; see the letter published under the sub-heading "Low paid will benefit" on the Herald's letters page of May 6, 2014 ("Reconsider Bondi brawler's gaming licence") (and that letter has been appended to Dr. Summers' article, with her response to it below it.)

Labels: economics, P.P.L., work

6. A few recent items regarding divorce

6.1 The late Prof. Becker on no-fault divorce

See the opinion piece "Exposing the dangers of welfare", by Mr. Adam Creighton, dated May 9, 2014, downloaded from (behind the paywall at) The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/exposing-the-dangers-of-welfare/story-fnc2jivw-1226910947505

Labels: divorce, law, marriage

6.2 "DIVORCE and family breakdowns are costing the national economy more than $14 billion a year in government assistance payments and court costs"

The quotation, including the capitals and bold type, in that headline comes from the article "Divorce is costing the Australian economy $14 billion a year", by Lauren Wilson and Lisa Cornish, dated July 6, 2014, downloaded from the Herald Sun's website:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/divorce-is-costing-the-australian-economy-14-billion-a-year/story-fni0dqfm-1226979027353

(That article came to my attention via this blog post by Mr. Muehlenberg.)

Labels: divorce, marriage

6.3 Mr. Creighton on no-fault divorce

See the opinion piece "Divorced wives deserve compensation for hardship", by Mr. Adam Creighton, dated July 11, 2014, downloaded from (behind the paywall at) The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/divorced-wives-deserve-compensation-for-hardship/story-fnc2jivw-1226984851502

Labels: divorce, law, marriage

7. A couple of recent Gay/sport items

7.1 In order "to send a clear message" about discrimination, the National Rubgy League penalised, with a two-match ban and a requirement "to attend an anti-vilification education and awareness program", a player "for breaching the League’s anti-vilification policy" by calling another player "Gay" (though the player called "Gay" isn't Gay)

The first two quotations in that headline come from the article "Mitchell Moses has been banned for two matches for breaking the NRL’s anti-­vilification policy", by Mr. Dean Ritchie, dated May 5, 2014, downloaded from the Sydney Daily Telegraph's website:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/mitchell-moses-has-been-banned-for-two-matches-for-breaking-the-nrls-antivilification-policy/story-fni3fbgz-1226906300123

(That article came to my attention via the version printed under the headline "Young Wests Tiger's two-week ban for homophobic slur", by the same author, on p. 67 in the "NRL" pages of the "SPORT" section of The Daily Telegraph, Tuesday, May 6, 2014, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.) The third quotation comes from the press releases "NRL suspends player for homophobic remark" and "Moses banned for two games for homophobic comment", neither of which has a byline, both dated Monday, May 5, 2014, both downloaded from NRL.com:

http://www.nrl.com/nrl-suspends-player-for-homophobic-remark/tabid/10874/newsid/78159/default.aspx

http://www.nrl.com/moses-banned-for-two-games-for-homophobic-comment/tabid/10874/newsid/78160/default.aspx

See also the opinion piece "NRL bosses are totally gay", by Miranda Devine, p. 13, The Daily Telegraph, Wednesday, May 7, 2014, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd., available online under the same headline, by the same author, but dated Tuesday, May 6, 2014, at Ms Devine's blog:

http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/mirandadevine/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/nrl_bosses_are_totally_gay/

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

7.2 "Our sponsorship of the Bingham Cup [a rugby union competition for gay players] has been a catalyst for change: we were able to use our leverage as a major advertiser to persuade the main sporting codes to sign up to an anti-homophobia policy, which they all did at the bank a few weeks ago."

The quotation, including the square-bracketed interpolation, in that headline comes from the appendix "SMASHING THE GLASS CLOSET" to the article "Don't ask, don't tell", by Jane Wheatley, dated June 7, 2014, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/dont-ask-dont-tell-20140602-39d0g.html?skin=text-only

(The sub-section (presumably minus any editorial interpolations) from which that quotation comes is attributed to Andrew Hall, "head of corporate affairs at the Commonwealth Bank", so the pronoun "we" and the possessives refer to the Commonwealth Bank.)

(That appendix and article came to my attention via the versions printed under the same respective headlines, with the same respective authors, on, respectively, p. 25 and pp. 22-25 of Good Weekend magazine, June 7, 2014, published by Fairfax Media Publications Pty. Ltd., inserted in The Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, June 7-8, 2014, Issue No. 55118, ISSN 0312-6315, published by Fairfax Media Publications Pty. Ltd.)

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

8. Some recent items regarding abortion

8.1 "UP to 23,000 abortions take place in Victoria each year", as at 2008, and "180 late-term abortions were carried out in 2005 on healthy fetuses for "psycho-social" reasons"

The quotations in that headline come from the article "Victoria is Australia's abortion 'capital'", by Laurie Nowell, dated June 1, 2008, downloaded from the Herald Sun website:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/victoria-abortion-capital/story-e6frf7kx-1111116500184

(That article came to my attention via this blog post by Mr. Gaynor.)

Labels: abortion, Victoria

8.2 "In 2009 there were 154 stillbirths related to termination of pregnancy for congenital abnormality and 42 neonatal deaths where the parents decided to have labour induced early resulting in the early birth of their infant (Table 96)."

The quotation in that headline comes from p. 111 of the Annual report for the year 2009, by the Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity, ISSN 1327-4473, authorised and published by H.M. Victorian Government, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, July 2012, © Copyright, State of Victoria, Department of Health 2012, downloaded from the "Document library" at the official website of the Department of Health, Victoria, Australia:

http://docs.health.vic.gov.au/docs/doc/Annual-Report-for-the-Year-2009-%28including-Births-in-Victoria%29--Full-Report

or go straight hither:

http://docs.health.vic.gov.au/docs/doc/C3F3B2341D9B4F99CA257A5C00099475/$FILE/1202025_CCOPMM_AR_2009_WEB.pdf

(That report came to my attention via this blog post by Mr. Gaynor.)

Labels: abortion, Victoria

8.3 "Of the 51 neonatal deaths[ in South Australia in 2008], 42 (82.4%) were lowbirthweight babies and 10 resulted from terminations of pregnancy."

The quotation, excluding the squate-bracketed interpolation, in that headline comes from p. 24 (p. 28 in your reader) of Maternal, Perinatal and Infant Mortality in South Australia 2008, by the Maternal, Perinatal and Infant Mortality Committee of the Pregnancy Outcome Unit of SA Health, H.M South Australian Government, ISSN 1032-4801, published by SA Health, H.M South Australian Government, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, November 2009, © SA Health, downloaded from the official SA Health website:

http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/6f561300440868f38a40aa5fc19a2cbb/mortalityreport-operations-sahaelth-2008.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=6f561300440868f38a40aa5fc19a2cbb

(That report came to my attention via the comment by Heidi on May 10, 2014 at 6:52 pm in the combox of a blog post by Mr. Gaynor.)

Labels: abortion, S.A.

8.4 Some up-to-date figures on contraception and abortion in Australia

See pp. 149 ff. and 195 ff. (but add 18 to desired page numbers when typing them into your reader's page number field) of the report Reproductive and sexual health in Australia, no author credited, ISBN 978 1 877026 29 4, published by Family Planning NSW, Sydney, N.S.W., Australia, 2013, © Family Planning NSW 2013, downloaded from Family Planning NSW's website:

Warning: Given the subject matter, beware of potentially scandalous terminology:

http://www.fpnsw.org.au/688423_21_13559012.html

Or go straight hither:

http://www.fpnsw.org.au/rshinaust_book_webedition_1.pdf

(That report came to my attention via this or this Herald article.)

Labels: abortion, contraception

9. "the more children a family has, the less likely it is that both parents will remain in paid employment. Therefore, encouraging larger families will increase the number of future workers and taxpayers, including women."

The quotation, including its italics, in that headline comes from the article "CHILD CARE INQUIRY: Should parents or paid strangers raise children?", by Mr. John Ballantyne, dated May 10, 2014, downloaded from News Weekly's website:

http://newsweekly.com.au/article.php?id=56572

Labels: economics, families

10. "The early moderns wanted to get rid of formal and final causes as immanent features of nature, and thus replaced them with the notion of “laws of nature” conceived of as externally imposed divine decrees."

The quotation in that headline comes from the blog post "School’s out forever?", by Dr. Edward Feser, dated Friday, May 2, 2014, downloaded from his eponymous blog:

http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2014/05/schools-out-forever.html

Labels: philosophy, science

11. "a quarter of our students[, i.e., of pupils in nominally Catholic schools in New South Wales,] are not Catholic", and "[a]t 44 per cent, SA Catholic schools have the highest proportion of students from non-Catholic backgrounds of any mainland state" ("[t]he national average is 29 per cent")

The first quotation, excluding my square-bracketed interpolation, in that headline comes from the letter published under the heading "Not weeds, flowers", from Dr. Brian Croke ("executive director, Catholic Education Commission NSW"), on the May 22, 2014 letters page (headline: "Tony Abbott lacks John Howard's bravery in facing Deakin University protesters"), downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-letters/tony-abbott-lacks-john-howards-bravery-in-facing-deakin-university-protesters-20140521-zrjwl.html?skin=text-only

The last two quotations, excluding my square-bracketed replacement of capital letters with lower-case ones, in that headline come from the article "Big growth in number of non-Catholics attending Catholic schools in SA", no byline, dated June 1, 2014, downloaded from news.com.au:

http://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/big-growth-in-number-of-noncatholics-attending-catholic-schools-in-sa/story-fnii5yv4-1226939166470

(That article came to my attention via this CathNews post.)

Labels: Catholic schools

12. "It is significant that at a time when the federal Coalition government is cutting support for single-income two-parent families by cutting Family Tax Benefit B and increasing costs of medical treatment and pharmaceuticals, it is increasing spending on institutionalised child care (primarily used by two-income families), on top of its paid parental leave scheme which is also a subsidy for two-income families."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "CANBERRA OBSERVED: Single-income families bear the brunt of Budget pain", no byline, dated May 24, 2014, downloaded from News Weekly's website:

http://newsweekly.com.au/article.php?id=56587

Labels: childcare, economics, families, tax

13. Mr. Muehlenberg with some recent items regarding Gaiety

See the blog post "Truth-Telling and Homosexuality", by Mr. Bill Muehlenberg, dated June 9, 2014, downloaded from his CultureWatch blog:

http://billmuehlenberg.com/2014/06/09/truth-telling-and-homosexuality/

(And read the comments there, especially the one by Dr. van Gend.)

Labels: G.L.B.T., mental health

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Confessor, A.D. 2014

Notes: Wednesday, February 13-Tuesday, March 26, 2013 (part 2 of 2)

10. A couple of recent items regarding 'established religion'

10.1 Mr. Rudd on how State agnosticism in Australia promotes multiculturalism, foreign relations, and the 'health' of society

"When people come to this country, I am all for people doing whatever they want to preserve the cultural inheritances they brought to this country."

This was assisted by Australia not having an established state religion, he said.

"We are all equal under the law and on questions of faith there is no preference of one against the other . . . and we have been an extraordinarily healthy society as a result," Mr Rudd said.

He said the diversity of faiths within modern Australia facilitated engagement with the Asia-Pacific, which "relatively monocultural" European countries found more difficult.
[ellipsis in the original,
"Nation's strength is its embrace of diversity, says Kevin Rudd", by Sarah Martin, dated March 7, 2013, downloaded from (behind the paywall at) The Australian's website:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/immigration/nations-strength-is-its-embrace-of-diversity-says-kevin-rudd/story-fn9hm1gu-1226591936801]

Labels: Confessional State, multiculturalism

10.2 When the Colony of New South Wales had an 'established religion'

On Saturday, March 9, 2013, I read an interesting item in the "ON THIS DAY" section of the "HISTORY" page of the Sydney Daily Telegraph for that day (presumably Vol. 1, No. 2792, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.). Unfortunately, I forgot to rip it out and keep it, so I reproduce it here to the best of my knowledge:

1826 Letters Patent found the Church and Schools Corporation, privileging the Church of England and placing New South Wales government schools under its control, giving it the status of an established religion in the colony.

I could not find the text of that item online, and nor could I find via the "Advanced Search" page of The London Gazette website the text of the Letters Patent in question, but here are some related webpages which I found via Google, listed roughly in, from my point of view, descending order of utility:

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/scott-thomas-hobbes-2645

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/broughton-william-grant-1832

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/therry-john-joseph-2722

http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=945875

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bathurst-henry-1751

http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/21634192?q=Corporation+of+the+Trustees+of+Church+and+School+Lands&c=book&versionId=25962366

http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/album/albumView.aspx?itemID=971395&acmsid=0

Labels: Anglicans, colonialism, N.S.W.

11. "In the evening[ of Friday, March 15, 2013], the Governor[ of New South Wales], accompanied by Dr Helen Crane, opened the “Consluencias” art exhibition at the Museum of Freemasonry, as part of celebrations marking the 125th Anniversary of Freemasons NSW & ACT, at The Masonic Centre, Sydney."

The quotation in that headline, including its italics, comes from the webpage titled "Friday, 15 March 2013", downloaded from the "Diary of Engagements" section of the official website of The Governor of New South Wales:

http://www.governor.nsw.gov.au/news/diary-of-engagements/friday-15-march-2013/

(That engagement came to my attention via the Vice-Regal notices on p. 31 in the classifieds section of the "Weekend Business" supplement of The Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, March 16-17, 2013, No. 54738, ISSN 0312-6315.)

Labels: Freemasons, Marie Bashir

12. Mr. Salt on family size in Australia

See the article "Big family loses out to work-life balance", by Bernard Salt, dated March 21, 2013, downloaded from (behind the paywall at) The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/big-family-loses-out-to-work-life-balance/story-e6frg9jx-1226601970873

See also the article "Mainstream mums: 40, with two children", by Rick Morton, dated March 21, 2013, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/mainstream-mums-40-with-two-children/story-e6frg6nf-1226601981073

Labels: demography, families, social trends

13. What Proud Schools events look like

See the article "Colourful day of celebration", by Mel Smith ("a Country Organiser and the Officer attached to GLBTI issues" for the New South Wales Teachers Federation), on p. 13 of EDuCATiON, the Journal of the New South Wales Teachers Federation, March 11, 2013, Vol. 94, No. 2:

http://www.nswtf.org.au/journal/education-94-02/index.html

(That article came to my attention via Mr. Muehlenberg's blog post "A Minute To Midnight: Sexual Suicide in the West ", dated March 13, 2013:

http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2013/03/13/a-minute-to-midnight-sexual-suicide-in-the-west/)

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

14. More from Prof. Feser on Prof. Krauss's A Universe from Nothing

See Prof. Feser's blog post "Forgetting nothing, learning nothing", dated Wednesday, February 27, 2013:

http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/forgetting-nothing-learning-nothing.html

I especially liked this paragraph:

So, “nothing,” Krauss finally acknowledges, is “the absence of something.” So far so good. He’s acquired some knowledge of English over the last few months. Unfortunately, he still hasn’t taken that remedial logic course. For we are also told that nothing is a “physical quantity” which can be studied through “empirical” means. All of which entails that the absence of something is a physical quantity which can be studied through empirical means. Wrap your mind around that. Your couch has length, width, depth, mass, etc. and can be seen and touched. And it turns out that the absence of your couch has length, width, depth, mass, etc. and can be seen and touched. Does the absence of a couch look different from the absence of a cat? Do they weigh the same? And how many absences can you fit in one room? Don’t scoff! It’s sciiieeeeence!
[italics in the original]

Labels: philosophy

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Tuesday in Holy Week, A.D. 2013

Notes: Tuesday, May 22-Monday, June 25, 2012 (part 1 of 2)

1. "Twenty-two US states after the Second World War supported past motions that supported world Government."

The quotation in that headline comes from Dr. (at the time, Senator) Bob Brown as recorded in the transcript for the Monday, April 23, 2012 episode of ABC TV's Q&A programme, which (transcript) is available here:

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s3478779.htm

It came to my attention via the opinion piece "Brown displays special version of free speech", by Andrew Bolt, p. 13, the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Thursday, April 26, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2525, available on-line here:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/brown-displays-special-version-of-free-speech/story-e6frezz0-1226338208014

Labels: U.S.A.

2. The text of the questions to, and answers from, Msgr. Coleridge at a press conference on April 4, 2012:

http://www.catholicleader.com.au/news.php/features/leading-a-missionary-church_79228

Labels: Mark Coleridge

3. More from Prof. Feser in relation to A Universe from Nothing:

http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/steng-operation.html

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2012/05/not-understanding-nothing

(The last of those came to my attention via this blog post by Prof. Feser.)

Labels: atheism, God's Existence, philosophy, theology

4. "I[ , Dr. Robert Brown,] have little use for the theology (and its method) that dominated the Church from 1500 to 1950"

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2012/05/hans-kung-wont-celebrate-50th-of-vatican-ii-prefers-funeral-service/#comment-341431

Labels: Robert Brown

5. How heterosexual degeneration is a precondition for the implementation of the Gay agenda

5.1 A "child, born in April, 2010, now has [a Gay couple] as parents, with the birth mother agreeing to no longer be recognised on the birth certificate"

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-news/two-dads-and-a-surrogate-create-legal-landmark/story-e6freuzi-1226377828528

(That came to my attention via the version of it which was published as "Two dads and a surrogate create legal landmark", by Amy Dale, p. 04, the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Friday, June 1, 2012, Vol. 1, No. 2555.)

Presumably, birth certificates for I.V.F.-conceived and surrogate-carried babies record, and have recorded for some time, as parents the opposite-sex couple which commissioned the surrogacy and the I.V.F. conception rather than recording the surrogate mother and the respective sperm and ovum donors as parents, so there would have been, from a legal positivist perspective, no great logical, legal, or practical difficulty in doing likewise for a same-sex couple.

Labels: birth certificates, G.L.B.T., law

5.2 The legalisation of divorce as a precondition for so-called Gay marriage:

[John ]Pilger's same-sex marriage blind spot is not uncommon among left-wingers his age. Many older lefties retain an outdated view of marriage as an instrument of male domination over women, the middle class's domination over workers, and God's domination over us all.

They refuse to see that the institution has been reformed, at least in the West, so that women, workers and non-believers now have much more autonomy to decide how, when and if they wed, how they conduct their marriage (including whether or not they have kids), and if and when their marriage will end.

They refuse to acknowledge that it is precisely this change which has made same-sex marriage an issue: now that marriage is a choice for the majority, it makes sense to ask why it isn't a choice for the minority.
[http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4023802.html]

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

See also the letter by one John Challis here.

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

5.3 "Only when husbands and wives have legal equality and are approaching economic parity does it make sense for there to be a household made up of two husbands or two wives."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/defenders-of-marriage-risk-jumping-at-shadows/story-e6frgd0x-1226368648235

Labels: economics, G.L.B.T., law, marriage

5.4 Prof. Bouma on the recent history of marriage

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/churchs-fight-to-control-marriage-20120618-20k81.html?skin=text-only

Labels: divorce, G.L.B.T., history, law, marriage

6. Ms Bryce summarises the victories of Feminism:

AS the first female Governor-General and former federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner, you've been a trailblazer for women. What do you regard as the biggest steps forward for women during your lifetime?

The most important steps have been in education - girls completing secondary education and going on to tertiary education and training in every field. Family planning advice, maternity leave, the Sex Discrimination Act and childcare have been the others.
[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/quentin-bryce-governor-general-69/story-e6frg8h6-1226362579263]

(That came to my attention via the version of it which was published as "10 Questions", Greg Callaghan interviewing "Quentin Bryce, Governor-General, 69", in the "Foreword" ("People & Observations") section, p. 8, The Weekend Australian Magazine, May 26-27, 2012, The Weekend Australian, May 26-27, 2012, Second Edition, No. 14819, ISSN 1038-8761.)

Labels: feminism

7. "the federal Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon, is holding an inquiry into consolidating the Commonwealth's four separate anti-discrimination laws. Her Department's position paper says that there will be exemptions for churches, schools and other oganisations. Yet, numerous GLBTI and radical human rights groups have told the Attorney General's inquiry that there must be no such exemptions."

http://www.ad2000.com.au/articles/2012/jun2012p3_3790.html

Labels: discrimination

8. Dr. Wiker on 'Gay marriage' in ancient Rome

http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/1367/gay_marriagenothing_new_under_the_sun.aspx

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

Labels: G.L.B.T., history, marriage, Roman Empire

9. Some recent releases from the Australian Bureau of Statistics

9.1 Some figures regarding childcare

http://www.smh.com.au/national/grandparents-bear-greater-share-of-childcare-duties-20120516-1yr9w.html

Labels: childcare

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. William, Abbot, A.D. 2012

Notes: Wednesday, March 21-Tuesday, March 27, 2012

1. "There were 44 million abortions worldwide in 2008 according to last month’s issue of The Lancet."

http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/article.php?classID=3&subclassID=7&articleID=9733&class=Features&subclass=Cardinal's Comment

Labels: abortion

2. Prof. Albert on Lawrence M. Krauss's A Universe From Nothing

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/books/review/a-universe-from-nothing-by-lawrence-m-krauss.html?_r=2

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

Labels: atheism, God's Existence, Lawrence Krauss, philosophy, physics, theology

3. The Royal Irish Academy's website on the historical St. Patrick:

http://www.confessio.ie/

(That came to my attention via this comment at Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog.)

Labels: St. Patrick

4. "[A Catholic-Voices-commissioned ComRes] poll also found overwhelming majority support (70%[ "of British people", presumably]) for retaining the current definition of marriage as a between a man and a woman"

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2012/03/15/3454073.htm

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

Labels: Catholic Voices, marriage, U.K.

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. John Damascene, Confessor, Doctor of the Church, A.D. 2012

Notes: Wednesday, December 21, 2011-Wednesday, January 11, 2012 (part 1 of 2)

Firstly, let me say that I hope that you had a merry Christmas and are having a happy New Year.

1. Some recent data on the respective ages of Australian women who have given birth:

[The] experience of [an Australian woman] having her first baby after the age of 35 is increasingly common, new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures show, with the number of first-time mothers aged 35+ rising from 10.3 per cent in 2000 to 13.7 per cent in 2009 (the most recent year of data).

The report, Australia's mothers and babies 2009, released today, shows the average age of women who gave birth reaching 30 years, up from 29 in 2000.

"The proportion of mothers aged 35 and over also continues to rise -- up from 17.1 per cent in 2000 to 22.8 per cent in 2009," AIHW national perinatal epidemiology and statistics unit spokeswoman Elizabeth Sullivan said. "And mothers aged 40 and over made up 4 per cent of women giving birth in 2009 compared with 2.6 per cent in 2000."
["Happy to labour later in life, first-time mums push the age barrier", by Stephen Lunn, dated December 21, 2011, downloaded from The Australian's website:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/happy-to-labour-later-in-life-first-time-mums-push-the-age-barrier/story-e6frg8y6-1226227102521]

Labels: demography, families

2. "A woman has died from a failed legal abortion in Australia"

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=40166

http://australiaincognita.blogspot.com/2011/12/another-woman-dies-after-melbourne.html

http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2011/12/22/abortion-hurts-women-not-to-mention-babies

Labels: abortion

3. "[Australian p]sychologists urge support of gay marriage as beneficial to mental health"

"Psychologists urge support of gay marriage as beneficial to mental health", by Milanda Rout, dated December 23, 2011, downloaded from The Australian's website:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/psychologists-urge-support-of-gay-marriage-as-beneficial-to-mental-health/story-e6frg8y6-1226228887945

Labels: A.P.S., G.L.B.T., marriage, mental health

4. "Navy rumour"

http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/more-work-not-higher-fares-will-solve-problem-20111229-1pe6y.html?skin=text-only

(That letter, of December 30, 2011, was a rejoinder to a letter published here under the heading "Under the carpet"; date: December 29, 2011.)

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

5. Prof. Freddoso's (incomplete) translation of St. Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica:

http://www.nd.edu/~afreddos/summa-translation/TOC.htm

(That came to my attention via one of the Christmas presents which I received, namely the book Just the Arguments; this is its website.)

Labels: philosophy, St. Thomas Aquinas, theology

6. Fr. Gleize on the teachings of Vatican II

http://www.dici.org/en/documents/debate-about-vatican-ii-fr-gleize-responds-to-msgr-ocariz/

(If I recall correctly, that came to my attention via a recent issue of the e-mail newsletter of the S.S.P.X.'s U.S. District.)

Labels: Vatican II

7. Together At One Altar—"a resource for school aged children in years F-12 in Australia to develop their formation in the Eucharist and assist their full, active and conscious participation in the Eucharist":

http://www.togetheratonealtar.catholic.edu.au/index.cfm

(That came to my attention via this post at Terra's blog.)

Labels: liturgy, theology, Together At One Altar

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Hyginus, Pope, Martyr, A.D. 2012

Notes: Thursday, September 15-Monday, September 26, 2011

1. Some figures on abortion in South Australia

According to the latest figures released by the South Australian government, abortion rates dipped slightly in 2009.

The number of abortions fell to 15.3 per 100,000 women of childbearing age from 16 a year earlier.

The highest abortion rates were among women aged 20 to 24 (30 per cent) followed by those aged 25-29 (22 per cent) and under 19s (18 per cent).
[http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/abortions-unlikely-to-rise-due-to-ru486-20110922-1kmuz.html?skin=text-only]

Labels: abortion, S.A.

2. In 2010, "a joint commission was set up, with experts of the commission “Ecclesia Dei” and of the congregation for divine worship, for the “updating” of the commemorations of the saints and the “possible insertion of new prefaces” into the preconciliar Roman missal of 1962", according to The activity of the Holy See for 2010, printed by Libreria Editrice Vaticana

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2011/09/revising-and-updating-the-1962-missale-romanum/

Labels: liturgy, Roman Curia, T.L.M.

3. "Despite reports, Ireland not backing down on forcing priests to break seal of confession"

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38947

Labels: Ireland

4. On the latest development in Vatican-S.S.P.X. relations

"COMMUNIQUE CONCERNING THE SOCIETY OF ST. PIUS X"
OP/ VIS 20110914 (450)

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2011/09/sspx-bp-fellay-interviewed-after-cdf-meeting-today/

Also, AQ has had several threads on the matter.

Labels: Roman Curia, S.S.P.X., T.L.M., theology, Vatican II

5. "ADL Urges Vatican To Ensure Anti-Jewish Sect Accepts Teachings Of Vatican II Before They Are Welcomed Back"

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38957

Keep in mind the relationship between the A.D.L. and B'nai B'rith, and the relationship between B'nai B'rith and the Vatican (see here and item 3.2 here); there might also be a direct relationship between the A.D.L. and the Vatican.

Labels: A.D.L., B'nai B'rith, Freemasons, Jews, S.S.P.X., Vatican II

6. H.H. The Pope on religion as a basis for social coexistence

From a recent edition of the Vatican Information Service's daily e-mail bulletin:

POPE HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY [...]

... "We are witnessing a growing indifference to religion in society, which considers the issue of truth as something of an obstacle in its decision-making, and instead gives priority to utilitarian considerations.

"All the same", he added, "a binding basis for our coexistence is needed; otherwise people live in a purely individualistic way. Religion is one of these foundations for a successful social life. 'Just as religion has need of freedom, so also freedom has need of religion'. These words of the great bishop and social reformer Wilhelm von Ketteler, the second centenary of whose birth is being celebrated this year, remain timely.
[...] PV-GERMANY/ VIS 20110922 (630)

I agree with the comment by Mr. Keener in the combox at Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog post on that Papal address.

Labels: Benedict XVI. Ratzinger, Confessional State

7. An interesting "CathBlog" and combox comments on metaphysics (or, perhaps more precisely, Natural, and Dogmatic, Theology)

http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=28012

Labels: philosophy, theology

8. The latest, and presumably most controversial, installment in Catholica's serialisation of Fr. Dresser's God is Big. Real Big!

http://www.catholica.com.au/gc0/pd/008_pd_240911.php

That's the chapter in which one reads, among other things, that "[n]o human being can ever be God. And Jesus was a human being. It is as simple as that!"

Labels: Peter Dresser, theology

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of Sts. Cyprian and Justina, Martyrs, A.D. 2011

Notes: Tuesday, July 26-Monday, August 8, 2011 (part 2 of 2)

1. Dr. Feser on a review by Sir Anthony (Kenny) of the former's The Last Superstition

http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2011/07/kenny-on-tls-in-tls.html

Labels: atheism, philosophy, theology

2. Yet more evidence of the Sodomites' League's success in diverting public discourse on homosexuality away from a focus on behaviour to a focus on 'identity'

From a Herald letter from one David Harris of Manly:

Fred Nile ... entered the NSW Upper House in 1980 with a single issue - to stop members of the gay community from celebrating their own identity.
[http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/dilemma-solved--abolish-the-upper-houses-20110801-1i8df.html?skin=text-only]

That seems inaccurate in at least two points: Mr. Nile was never a one-issue politician, and in 1980 New South Wales law did not, as far as I know, prohibit anyone "celebrating their own identity" (though it did, of course, prohibit buggery until, if I'm not mistaken, 1984, but that prohibition applied irrespective of whether the sodomite was homosexual or heterosexual and irrespective of whether the catamite was male or female, so clearly it involved discrimination neither on the basis of sex nor of sexual disorientation).

Labels: Fred Nile, G.L.B.T.

3. Fortunately, it seems that the background of one of the main participants in Ireland's planning for an attack on the Sacrament of Penance has not gone completely unnoticed there

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=414425#414425

Labels: Alan Shatter

4. Point-counterpoint in the Herald letters page:

4.1 In discussion on N.S.W. State school "ethics" classes

One Philip Cooney of Wentworth Falls wrote that

Surely it can't threaten our children to ask why there was not open access to the curriculum material prior to its introduction ...
[http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/little-virtue-in-labors-games-with-education-20110802-1i9si.html?skin=text-only]

I too had the impression that there was a lack of open access to the 'ethics class' material before its introduction, but then the next day a letter was published which said that

[t]he ethics course syllabus was reviewed and approved by the NSW Education Department.
[http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/dont-play-russian-roulette-with-our-aquifers-20110803-1ibl2.html?skin=text-only]

Did the "ethics" folks give access only to the Department, then? (I don't ask that rhetorically; does anyone know the answer?)

The day after that, Mr. Nile had a column published on the matter, in which he wrote that there are some who

wrongly believe that when Sir Henry Parkes introduced free and ''secular'' state education, he meant ''non-Christian'' or ''non-religious''. That was never his intention. In the 1880s, ''secular'' was used to prohibit denominational teaching in NSW classrooms, not scripture classes, which Parkes decreed should fill one hour per day.

But I thought that 'secular' as in 'secularist' was precisely what the likes of Parkes intended. One Keith Parsons of Newcastle affirmed my point of view in a letter published, with others, under the heading "Reason v dogma: Fred's no Socrates" here:

The only reason Sir Henry Parkes, almost 130 years ago, supported religious instruction in public schools was to get the churches that dominated school education to support the concept of a universal, free, public, secular education system.

Are any readers here knowledgeable on the motives and intentions of Australia's late-nineteenth-century proponents of 'free, compulsory, and secular' schooling (I won't say education)?

Labels: education, Henry Parkes, secularism, St James Ethics Centre

4.2 In discussion on the birth certificates of donor-conceived children

Last week the Herald gave us a reminder of the insanity of some of New South Wales's laws:

Sperm donors have no legal parental status even if they are on a birth certificate and even if they have court-ordered access visits.

But retrospective laws introduced in 2008 gave lesbian partners of women who conceive through artificial insemination legal parenting status.
[http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/keep-me-named-as-father-donor-begs-court-20110802-1i9yf.html?skin=text-only
Or alternatively:
http://www.smh.com.au/national/sperm-donor-could-lose-his-status-20110802-1i9wq.html?skin=text-only]

The coverage elicited a terse little letter, published under the heading "Donor delisting" here, from one Samantha Chung of Newtown, but the next day one Eva Elbourne of Gordon provided quite a good rejoinder (though I'm not sure that I agree with it completely), published under the heading "Donor parents must remain on record" here.

Labels: families, G.L.B.T., parenthood

5. "Russia is Most Religious Nation In Europe"

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38415

Labels: R.O.C., Russia

6. Mr. Verrecchio on homosexuality, narcissism, and their influence on liturgy

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38404

Labels: G.L.B.T., liturgy, narcissism

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. John Mary Vianney, Confessor, and of Sts. Cyriacus, Largus, and Smaragdus, Martyrs, A.D. 2011

Notes: Wednesday, July 13-Tuesday, July 19, 2011 (part 2 of 2)

6. "Notitiae ["the official journal of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship"] Responses online"

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2011/07/notitiae-responses-online/

http://notitiae.ipsissima-verba.org/

Labels: liturgy, Roman Curia

7. "The Greens, to be to be launched in Melbourne on July 21, is the first book to provide a practical analysis of the wide-ranging [Australian] Greens policies"

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/at-last-a-thorough-probe-into-what-drives-the-greens-machine/story-fn59niix-1226095160826

A revised version of one of that book's chapters, by Dr. Kevin Donnelly, was published at The Punch last week. Of particular interest were its last half-dozen or so paragraphs; this is the last of them:

Given that all Australian schools, under the banner of the ALP’s education revolution, will be made to teach a national curriculum after 2012, it should not surprise if the Greens pressure the Gillard Government to incorporate a positive view of LGBTI lifestyles in the new curriculum.[http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/green-with-class-envy-and-bent-on-change/]

Labels: Australian Labor, education, G.L.B.T., Greens

8. Dr. Feser on "some of the non-serious objections" to the cosmological argument for God's Existence

http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2011/07/so-you-think-you-understand.html

Labels: God's Existence, philosophy, theology

9. "Studies estimate between 20,000 and 40,000 polygamists live in the heavily Mormon state [of Utah]"

http://www.smh.com.au/world/no-big-love-lost-in-polygamists-civil-rights-claim-20110715-1hhp8.html?skin=text-only

Labels: C.J.C.L.D.S., polyamory

10. "Russians launch space super-telescope": "The main point is that Russia is returning to scientific programmes in space after a long break"

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/russians-launch-space-telescope/story-e6frg6so-1226097482531

Labels: Russia

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, Confessor, A.D. 2011

Notes: Tuesday, May 10-Monday, May 16, 2011

1. "80 per cent of parish pastors in Australia ... belong to the [National Council of Priests]"?

According to a letter from one L. F. Donnelly which was published last week in The Australian, "80 per cent of parish pastors in Australia ... belong to the [National Council of Priests]". Is this a fact, though?

Labels: N.C.P.

2. "Putin signals 2012 bid"

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/editorial/putin-signals-2012-bid-20110510-1eh6f.html?skin=text-only

Labels: Russia, Vladimir Putin

3. A few recent items regarding H.H. The Pope

3.1 Holy Father mentions "eclipse of God" in Allocution on prayer

AG/ VIS 20110511 (610)

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20110511_en.html

"Eclipse of God" is the title of a book by the Jewish pseudophilosopher Martin Buber. His Holiness mentions Buber favourably in Milestones.

Labels: Benedict XVI. Ratzinger, Jews, Martin Buber, philosophy, theology

3.2 "Pope receives delegation of B'nai B'rith International"

AC/ VIS 20110512 (340)

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=37310

Labels: B'nai B'rith, Benedict XVI. Ratzinger, Freemasons, inter-religious dialogue, Jews

3.3 H.H. The Pope on religious liberty

AL/ VIS 20110516 (590)

Excerpt from the Holy Father's Address to Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of India on their "ad Limina" visit:

Moreover, as Indian Christians strive to live in peace and harmony with their neighbours of other beliefs, your prudent leadership will be crucial in the civil and moral task of working to safeguard the fundamental human rights of freedom of religion and freedom of worship. As you know, these rights are based upon the common dignity of all human beings and are recognized throughout the concert of nations. The Catholic Church strives to promote these rights for all religions throughout the world. ...
[http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2011/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20110516_ad-limina-india_en.html]

Labels: Benedict XVI. Ratzinger, morality, religious liberty

4. Mr. Muehlenberg with "Further Reasons To Reject Legalised Euthanasia"

http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2011/05/11/further-reasons-to-reject-legalised-euthanasia/

Labels: euthanasia

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Ubald, Bishop, Confessor, A.D. 2011

Notes: Tuesday, February 22-Wednesday, February 23, 2011

1. "54 Answers from Bishop Fellay"

http://sspx.org/superior_generals_ltrs/54_answers_from_bishop_fellay_feb_2011/54_answers_bp_fellay1.htm

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36104
http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36131

In one of the interview web-pages, there is a hyperlink to an English translation of the Twenty-Four Thomistic Theses, which theses the Sacred Congregation of Studies approved in the early twentieth century:

http://sspx.org/miscellaneous/24_thomistic_theses.htm

Labels: Benedict XVI. Ratzinger, Bernard Fellay, philosophy, S.S.P.X., St. Thomas Aquinas, theology, Traditional Latin Mass, Vatican II

2. R.I.P. Dr. Bernard Nathanson, the former abortionist and National Abortion Rights Action League co-founder who became pro-life and, later, Catholic

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36142
http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36147

Labels: abortion, Bernard Nathanson

3. Interesting AQ thread on the motive for the Incarnation

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36137

Labels: theology

4. Excerpt from a blog comment on the relationship between abortion and contraception:

... A recent study of around 2000 women found that 1 in 2 had an unplanned pregnancy and 60% of those were using contraception at the time. More than half of women who have abortions report they were using contraception at the time. Also if you multiply 99% by the number of women on the pill you will come out with a number of failures that is completely unacceptable if you intend to kill ‘failures’.

http://www.mariestopes.org.au/research/australia/australia-real-choices-key-findings
[http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2011/02/21/pro-aborts-say-the-dumbest-things/#comments]

Labels: abortion, contraception

5. What's this all about?

I don't remember seeing anything like this in, if I recall correctly, almost four years of reading the Vatican Information Service daily e-mail bulletin:

HOLY FATHER TO CANONISE THREE BLESSEDS ON 23 OCTOBER

VATICAN CITY, 21 FEB 2011 (VIS) - In the Consistory Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace at midday today, the Holy Father presided at an ordinary public consistory for the canonisation of the following blesseds:

[...] A number of cardinals then expressed to the Pope their desire to pass from the order of deacons to the order of priests:

- At the request of Cardinal Agostino Cacciavillan, the diaconate of the Holy Guardian Angels at Citta Giardino has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal.

- At the request of Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani, the diaconate of St. Eustace has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal.

- At the request of Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, the diaconate of St. Nicholas in Carcere has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal.

- At the request of Cardinal Jorge Maria Mejia, the diaconate of St. Jerome of Charity has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal.

- At the request of Cardinal Walter Kasper, the diaconate of All Saints on the New Appian Way has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal.

- At the request of Cardinal Roberto Tucci S.J., the diaconate of St. Ignatius of Loyola at Campo Marzio has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal. [...]
OCL/ VIS 20110221 (390)

And the question in the title of this Notes item is not rhetorical.

Labels: College of Cardinals

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Peter Damian, Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church, A.D. 2011

Msgr. Tissier and Prof. Kozinski, separately, on the Social Reign of Christ

1. Prof. Kozinki on the social reign of Christ the King, the Confessional State, Church-State relations, liberalism, and Maritainism

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35806

Assistant Professor Thaddeus Kozinski's answers in that interview are, though not perfect, perhaps the second-most heartening thing which I've ever found on the Internet (second to my discovery of the sources for the Syllabus of Errors). See my comment in that AQ thread for a quote box of highlights from the interview. I find the answers so heartening because it is the only time I have ever seen a non-S.S.P.X.-affiliated person so vigorously assert the Social Kingship of Christ and its implications for relations between the State and Christ the King and between the State and the Church. I hope to obtain Prof. Kozinski's book, which was the occasion for that interview, before long.

2. Msgr. Tissier's summary of the doctrine pertaining to the Social Kingship of Christ

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=327841#327841

I thought that as long as I was posting a stand-alone post on the Social Reign of Christ I should finally get round to linking to that article by The Rt. Rev. Bernard Tissier de Mallerais F.S.S.P.X. It is the best treatise on the Social Kingship of Christ which I have ever seen.

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Andrew Corsini, Bishop, Confessor, A.D. 2011

Notes: Tuesday, February 1-Friday, February 4, 2011

1. On Egypt and developments there considered with respect to the State of Israel

From the Herald the other day:

Writing in the Israeli daily Haaretz, military analyst Amos Harel says: "The collapse of the old regime in Cairo, if it takes place, will have a massive effect, mainly negative, on Israel's position in the region. In the long run it could put the peace treaties … in danger, the largest strategic assets [Israel has] after the support of the US."

Explaining what is at stake, a senior Israeli official is quoted in The New York Times: "For the US, Egypt is the keystone of its Middle East policy. For Israel, [Egypt] is the whole arch."

The former Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Eli Shaked, writes: "The only people in Egypt who are committed to peace are the people in Mubarak's inner circle, and if the next president is not one of them, we are going to be in trouble."

[...] Ron Lesham warned in Haaretz of the consequences of Egyptian politics operating without Mubarak: "The parties will be myriad and fragmented, colourless and disappointing, left-wing and right-wing - and all of them hostile to Israel. An unstable, rudderless transition period, a parliamentary democracy in the Turkish model, if not the Iranian, will give rise to a religious regime that within a few years will presumably be in control of the best-trained and best-equipped army in the Middle East."
[my square-bracketed ellipsis, italics and other square-bracketed interpolations in the original,
http://www.smh.com.au/world/peoples-gain-is-loss-for-us-and-israel-as-arab-allies-falter-20110201-1ach7.html?skin=text-only]

Labels: Egypt, State of Israel

2. "Obama signs Russia arms pact"

Excerpt:

US officials said Mr Obama would make the ceremonial gesture in the Oval Office, before the milestone pact comes into force on Saturday at a ceremony in Munich attended by both nations' top diplomats.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the new START agreement's ratification last Friday after the Russian parliament passed the pact, which was endorsed by the US Senate last month.

The treaty comes into force when the two nations exchange their respective "instruments of ratification".
[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/obama-signs-russia-arms-pact/story-e6frg6so-1225999016923]

Labels: Russia, U.S.A.

3. On exaggerated reporting of the Australian Christian Lobby's (A.C.L.'s) reaction to the N.S.W. Coalition's plan no longer to abolish ethics classes

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/christians-vent-anger-after-opposition-abandons-promise-on-ethics-classes-20110203-1afjh.html?skin=text-only

When the critical thinker reads a headline about "Christians vent[ing their] anger" above a first line beginning with the words "FURIOUS Christians", he or she thinks "Those are pretty strong words. Are they warranted?" Now can anyone read that article and tell me how one could answer that question in the affirmative?

Labels: A.C.L., S.M.H.

4. Mr. Ackland on the High Court's dealings with Church-State relations

The excerpts which are of interest to me:

The constitution says that the Commonwealth cannot make a law for establishing a religion, or for imposing religious observance or prohibiting the free exercise of religion. Importantly, ''no religious test shall be required as qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth''.

In 1981, in a case brought by the Defence of Government Schools people, a majority of the Barwick court said state aid was perfectly kosher and did not violate the constitution. Only Justice Lionel Murphy accepted an argument that decisions of the US Supreme Court which prohibited direct government support for religious institutions should be followed here.

The majority did not take a particularly broad view of our constitutional provision, confining the restraint to laws that sought to ''establish'' a religion in Australia. As long as the government did not officially identify itself with one religion or another, then all would be well.

[...] Ron Williams says his children have been subjected to religious zealotry by chaplains employed through the Scripture Union. He has persuaded the Sydney solicitor Claude Bilinsky and barrister Bret Walker to challenge the program on constitutional grounds in the High Court. The case will be heard in May, not as an appeal but as part of the court's original jurisdiction.

[...] Then there is the crunch constitutional point. Any school chaplain engaged under this scheme holds an office under the Commonwealth. By requiring these chaplains to comply with certain guidelines, a ''religious test'' as a qualification for a government job is imposed. This, it is argued, breaches the constitution.
[http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/religiously-follow-the-rules-or-catch-church-in-bed-with-state-20110203-1afbf.html?skin=text-only]

Labels: Church and State, Constitution, High Court of Australia, law

5. Someone who does not oppose assisted suicide on the notion of 'dying with dignity'

An interesting letter in today's Herald:

Throwing in the towel is not dignity

John Newton and Bryan Milner (Letters, February 3) are taking liberties with the English language. Dying with dignity? I don't think so.

Euthanasia legislation parading as dying with dignity is a misnomer and insults those with true dignity. It is silly for a society to make suicide, or even assisting suicide, a crime, but it is hardly a dignified exit to life. When we accord ''dignity'' to those who throw in the towel and say that those who fight to the end ''lack dignity'', we have lost the concept of dignity.

Dignity refers to the human spirit, to qualities worthy of esteem or respect. It has nothing to do with whether someone needs help to eat or go to the bathroom. By all means let people exit how they want but please don't say it was dignified. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with throwing in the towel but that is what it is.

When you feel the need to wrap your actions in inappropriate words to make them palatable, you probably don't truly believe you are doing the most honourable thing.

Mary Ancich Birchgrove
[http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/recovery-too-great-a-task-to-leave-to-charity-20110203-1afbc.html?skin=text-only]

Labels: euthanasia

6. A couple of interesting websites which I've discovered

Via the Blogger profile of a commenter at Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog I've discovered that the philosopher Edward Feser has a blog:

http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/

The first post which I saw at Dr. Feser's blog linked to an article entitled "The Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Law":

http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2011/02/oderberg-on-natural-law.html

Natural-law ethics's three metaphysical presumptions are the existence of God, the immortality of the soul, and psychological liberty. I have not read Dr. Oderberg's paper yet but I would be quite interested to do so, if I have time.

Labels: morality, natural law, philosophy

7. "A Review [by Mr. Muehlenberg] of Unplanned. By [former "Planned Parenthood" clinic director] Abby Johnson."

http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2011/02/04/a-review-of-unplanned-by-abby-johnson/

Labels: Abby Johnson, abortion

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Andrew Corsini, Bishop, Confessor, A.D. 2011

Notes: Tuesday-Thursday, January 4-6, 2011

1. "Cardinal George Pell agrees to meet gay marriage campaigners"

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/cardinal-george-pell-agrees-to-meet-gay-marriage-campaigners/story-e6frg6nf-1225981271561

Labels: G.L.B.T., George Pell, marriage, morality

2. "S. THOMAE DE AQUINO OPERA OMNIA" (Latin)

http://www.corpusthomisticum.org/iopera.html

Labels: morality, philosophy, St. Thomas Aquinas, theology

3. Mr. Kent on Ms Keneally's behaviour at press conferences

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/kristina-keneallys-painful-lesson-in-how-to-say-nothing/story-e6frezz0-1225981904591

Interesting mainly for its observations on how 'sound bite' culture degrades press conferences:

Over the next 30 minutes, explaining the legal advice in her hand, Keneally repeats the phrase "independent and non-political advice" eight times.

[...] She says it often enough that it begins echoing in the subconscious, the intention all along. She says it even when the question didn't ask for it. Or even require it.

Indeed, she says what she wants, over and over again, because Kristina Keneally realises one of the great truths of the political press conference.

Repeat only your message - ignoring all legitimate answers to all valid and reasonable questions - and reporters are unable to quote anything else.

The wisdom of this is revealed later, when reporters must cut their 90-second news report - and what else can be reported other than her stage-managed message? Her refusal to answer all legitimate questions is lost in the need to report what she did actually say.

Labels: politicians

4. The latest figures on Australians' support for euthanasia

http://www.smh.com.au/national/support-steadfast-for-death-to-ease-pain-20110105-19gau.html?skin=text-only

Labels: euthanasia, morality

5. On Muphry's (sic) Law

From the last item in today's edition of the Herald's "Column 8":

Margaret Ruwoldt, of Leopold, Victoria, adds to the Laws Of Inevitable Error discussion of recent days: '' I'm fairly certain that snortee Alan Lloyd on Thursday meant to refer to Muphry's Law, defined in 1992 by John Bangsund of the Society of Editors (Victoria). Under Muphry's Law, if you write anything criticising editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in what you have written.'' ...
[http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/column-8/column-8-20110105-19g6s.html?skin=text-only]

Labels: Muphry's Law

6. Mr. Donnelly on Sir Elton John's procurement of his (Sir Elton's) pseudo-son

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/zachary-may-feel-like-eltons-motherless-child/story-e6frg6zo-1225981951351

Of particular interest to me were these sections:

One Australian who has given the issue of artificial reproductive technology careful thought is Margaret Somerville. Somerville teaches at McGill University in Canada. Earlier this year she presented a paper, "Children's Human Rights to Natural Biological Origins and Family Structure", at a symposium in Slovakia. ...

[...] One Australian who has given the issue of artificial reproductive technology careful thought is Margaret Somerville. Somerville teaches at McGill University in Canada. Earlier this year she presented a paper, "Children's Human Rights to Natural Biological Origins and Family Structure", at a symposium in Slovakia.

Labels: families, G.L.B.T., Margaret Somerville, morality, parenthood

7. On Japanese immigration policy

Could someone please tell me whether it is true that

Japan forbids permanent immigration in order to preserve its homogeneous culture.
[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/arbitrary-penalties/comments-fn558imw-1225981977332]

Labels: Japan

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord, A.D. 2011

Notes: Saturday-Monday, December 11-13, 2010

1. "Israeli rabbis back ban on renting property to Arabs"

http://www.smh.com.au/world/israeli-rabbis-back-ban-on-renting-property-to-arabs-20101208-18pwx.html?skin=text-only

See also this AQ thread:
http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35074

2. Mr. Muehlenberg on how legalisation of so-called gay marriage affects (adversely) people other than the gay 'husbands' and their respective 'wives'

http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2010/12/10/same-sex-marriage-who-says-nothing-will-change/

3. A few interesting books reviewed/mentioned over the weekend

3.1 "In Your Face: The New Science of Human Attraction
"By David Perrett Palgrave
"Macmillan, 305pp, $42"
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/for-the-footy-fans/story-e6frg8nf-1225966843570

3.2 "Peter Leithart, Defending Constantine. IVP, 2010"
http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2010/12/12/recommended-reading-for-the-christmas-break/

3.3 "Edward Feser, Aquinas: A Beginner’s Guide (Oneway Publications, 2009)"
http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2010/12/13/historical-theology-a-bibliographic-essay/
(also metioned in comments at the web-page linked in 3.2)

4. "AUSTRALIA'S culture of long work hours is putting at risk children's early learning opportunities"

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/lifematters/long-work-hours-leave-little-time-for-childs-play-20101210-18swv.html?skin=text-only

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Lucy, Virgin, Martyr, A.D. 2010

Notes: Saturday-Monday, November 6-8, 2010

1. Interesting review of The Grand Design

The review in question was published in The Sydney Morning Herald's Spectrum supplement at the weekend, and is available on-line here. The following excerpt was remarkable:

Even if M-theory is the best candidate for a Theory of Everything, it will not, as Hawking concedes, result in anything more than a collection of unproved and unprovable hypotheses.

2. Exactly (precisely?) what I was thinking!

Here's a letter which was published on page twenty-five of today's edition of the Sydney Daily Telegraph and which points out an all-too-common grammatical error which vexes me too:

For years the signs at railway stations have warned us that steps "may be" (that is are permitted to be) slippery when wet. Finally, this ungrammatical phrase is now correct. To avoid slips on the newly refurbished Macarthur station, carpets are being laid as a safety measure. Perhaps State Rail should have warned the wet areas "might be" (this expresses possibility, not permission) slippery.
M. Chaldecott Lindfield

The four effects of law are to command ('You shall ...'), to forbid ('You shall not ...'), to permit ('You may ...'), and to punish (to trangress any of the preceding three is to incur the obligation to suffer the just penalty); see St. Thomas, Summa Theologica, Ia IIæ, Q. 92, a. 2.

3. The Stockholm Bloodbath: An episode in Scandinavian history of which I had not heard

I was interested to learn the following in the "on this day" section of the history page of today's Sydney Daily Telegraph (p. 39):

1520

The execution of more than 80 Swedish nobles and clergy, who opposed their country's invasion by Christian II of Denmark, begins in Stockholm. The dissidents are accused of heresy.

Apparently that episode is known as the Stockholm Bloodbath, about which you can read more at Wikipedia's page on it.

4. The latest development/s in Australia regarding so-called gay marriage

4.1 "Mark Arbib wants Labor to back gay marriage"
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/arbib-wants-labor-to-back-gay-marriage/story-fn59niix-1225948555751

4.2 "Powerbrokers call for gay marriage debate"
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/powerbrokers-call-for-gay-marriage-debate/story-e6frea8c-1225948877549

(See also the responses in The Australian's editorial and letters sections.)

5. Interesting books reviewed in the weekend papers

A Place for Truth: Leading Thinkers Explore Life's Hardest Questions
Edited by Dallas Willard
IVP Books,321pp, $27.95

[...] Delusions of Gender: The Real Science Behind Sex Differences
By Cordelia Fine
Icon Books, 338pp, $29.99
[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/where-faith-and-reason-meet/story-e6frg8nf-1225946773855]

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of the Four Crowned Martyrs, A.D. 2010

Notes: Tuesday-Wednesday, October 12-13, 2010

"Drug taken before pregnancy confirmed" (Queensland miscarriage procurement case)

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/drug-taken-before-pregnancy-confirmed/story-e6frg6nf-1225937859544

It is believed to be the first abortion-related trial in Queensland in 24 years, and pro-choice demonstrators from around Australia have converged on Cairns to call for the decriminalisation of abortion. Anti-abortion activists are also watching the case closely.

Interesting choice of descriptions there: "pro-choice" and "anti-abortion". Why not be consistent and speak of either pro- and anti-abortion (if we are to describe them by reference to their respective attitudes to the matter at hand, namely abortion) or of pro-choice and pro-life (if we are to describe them by their respective preferred descriptions)?

"I wanted to give my kid the best," Mr [Sergie] Brennan told the police, in an interview replayed to the court. "At that moment I felt I couldn't give my kid the best."

You couldn't give him or her the best, so you gave him or her the worst? Talk about making the perfect the enemy of the good.

"Synod bishops raps Israeli plan for citizenship oath"

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34147

Interesting AQ thread on geocentrism

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33799&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Particularly this:

if we look at the Church's constant teaching, we find that She holds that the objective, physical geocentricity of the universe is a fact that can only be known by Divine revelation. (See St. Thomas Aquinas.)
[http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=383042#383042]

Mr. Ferrara on "Christ the King and the Catholic Tea Party"

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34142

I was interested to learn that

in 1874 a nationwide movement of prominent Protestant clergy, academics, legislators and jurists known as the National Reform Association (NRA) presented a Memorial and Petition to Congress, which had been circulating since 1864, calling for nothing less than an explicit recognition of the sovereignty of God and the Social Kingship of Christ in the Constitution. Referring to “our national sins, which have provoked the Divine displeasure”—that is, the Civil War—and the need of “of imploring forgiveness through Jesus Christ,” NRA’s petition called upon Congress to initiate the process for amending the Constitution’s Preamble to read as follows:

We, the people of the United States, [humbly acknowledging Almighty God as the source of all authority and power in civil government, the Lord Jesus Christ as the Ruler among the nations, his revealed will as the supreme law of the land, in order to constitute a Christian government,] and in order to form a more perfect union…
[italics and ellipsis in the original]

Related (to the Kingship of Christ) post by Fr. Zuhlsdorf:

"Card. Rivera: Priests must work to transform society"
http://wdtprs.com/blog/2010/10/card-rivera-priests-must-work-to-transform-society/

"Stemma Papale"

"On Sunday a new stemma papale [the Pope's coat-of-arms] was seen"--with the Papal Tiara replacing the mitre which the Holy Father has on his coat-of-arms:

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2010/10/stemma-papale/

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Edward, King, Confessor, A.D. 2010