Before the 1965 Immigration Act, the US was approaching zero population growth. The “land of the free and home of the brave,” as we call ourselves, has had below-replacement fertility since the early 1970s. We now see that fifty years of importing a new people merely delayed the inevitable. Immigration, which has slackened of late, […]
Teachers are being advised to introduce transgenderism to children in Junior Infants in new guidelines from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO). The NCCA have also told teachers of Junior and Senior Infants (where children are typically between 4 and 6 years old) to tell schoolkids […]
Family structure has a significant and consistent relationship with adolescent behaviour, with poorer outcomes for those in lone-parent families or families that experienced separation, according to a new report from the ESRI. The ‘Risk and Protective Factors in Adolescent Behaviour’ Report examines the role of family, school and neighbourhood characteristics in (mis)behaviour among young people. It […]
Can you really be transgender at four years old? Matthew Stubbings, and wife Klara Jeynes, both 44, from the English city of Doncaster, believe so. Their “son” Stormy was born as a girl named Emerald. However, from 18 months Emerald identified as a boy like her twin brother Arlo, so they are raising him as a […]
Contrary to what many scholars expected back in January 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic did not become China’s Chernobyl moment. Instead, more than a year later, the world has fallen into a collective amnesia that is familiar to Chinese citizens. As Kai Strittmatter pointed out in his book We Have Been Harmonized (2020), although the Chinese government’s cover […]
This book would be a bargain at any price, but it is free to download from the website of Springer, the publisher of many medical journals: Euthanasia: Searching for the Full Story: Experiences and Insights of Belgian Doctors and Nurses. Euthanasia, though legal in Belgium, is opposed by some healthcare professionals. This collection of essays contains insights and […]
Understanding the pros and cons of energy options from hydro, renewables, fossil fuels, and nuclear, for the world’s diverse population, would be best for the future of society. With some energy literacy, folks may realize that there may not be a silver bullet answer for all of humanity’s energy needs. Whether you ultimately drive an […]
What effect did Covid-19 have on the number of weddings that took place in Ireland last year compared with 2019? As you can imagine, a very big effect. In fact, the figure halved, but the reduction in the amount of Catholic weddings was bigger than in the number of civil weddings. Why might that have […]
On April 28, 2021, the daily newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, the People’s Daily, introduced to its readers the recently published book “Questions and Answers on the Study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想学习问答), published by the Central Propaganda Department of the CCP. It is yet another book whose study will be […]
I had recently noticed an ad on social media for a local market, and so last weekend we popped down to a lot in Glasnevin to get out of the house and have a poke around. Products and wares included baked and preserved goods, candles, soaps, and fishing tackle. The accents and features behind the […]
And the murder of Baothnalach MacAodhagáin (Catholic Bishop of Ross) The Battle of Macroom was a significant encounter that took place on the 10th May 1650, during the Cromwellian assault on Ireland. An English Parliamentarian force under the command of Roger Boyle (Lord Broghill) engaged a big Irish force that was commanded by Irish Confederate […]
German doctors have dropped their opposition to assisted suicide, in a controversial move which could pave the way for complete legalisation of euthanasia. The German Doctors’ Congress (Bundesärztekammer) this week voted to make professional regulations for doctors on assisted suicide consistent with a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court in February last year. “The general right of personality includes […]