The Cardinal Newman Society, a group that works to keep Catholic schools Catholic, refers to the Vagina Monologues as the V***** Monologues on its website.
This may explain why they have trouble toilet-training their kids...
In other news, horrible spider story in the Guardian. It's called a Brazilian Wandering spider, is more venomous than a Black Widow, and is know for its speed and aggression. Unfortunately, the hospital released the spider into the gardens because someone thought it was a domestic species.
The comforting final paragraphs:
The trust said: "The spider was released into the grounds as it was believed to be a domestic species. The RSPCA and the trust's pest control experts have since confirmed that it would have died very soon after being released."
The spider, though, has already shown itself to be a survivor. Mr Stevens said that after being bitten, he knocked it into an open freezer before drenching it with boiling water. It emerged unscathed from both experiences.
Did you see in the Herald today about those 19 kids in the Far North who haven't been to school in 10 years?! Here's the article. I fail to see how Child, Youth and Family can possibly call these kids "safe".
Between the three families there are 19 children who have never been to school, including 18-year-old Faith Van Duin, who has started a new generation of children to be brought up outside the system with her daughter Rangimarie Twaddell, 3.
It seems to me that this is in contravention of Principle 7 of theDeclaration of the Rights of the Child and in my opinion, Point One of Article 26 trumps Point Three.
I don't think the living conditions of the family as important as that the children are essentially being forced into the parents' way of life. They live without electricity or running water and in an isolated spot, and that's fine; but the kids are being denied a shot at another kind of life because they don't even have a registered home school teacher, and their parents deny access to State academic assessors. Without any recognised qualifications at all, no record within the system, not even contact with kids from all different points of view, their futures are drastically curtailed.
here's the link to the 'care sheet' for said spider. not for the 'pet keeper' apparently, but they then go on to describe what you need to have one as a pet.
eurgh