In what is a concerted effort to “protect their First Amendment rights to freedom of religion,” Catholic institutions are in full rebellion against part of the Obama health care initiative that would require employers to provide co-pay free contraception, sterilization, and ‘morning-after’ pills in their health plans—something that is in direct opposition with current church teachings.

Previous efforts to attack the Obama plan turned into what many felt was an attack on women. Repositioning their argument into one of protecting religious freedom changed all of that. Or so they hope.

The Catholic League has promised that even more institutions will be coming forward in the all-out blitz.

It’s another breakthrough for the growing industry of GMO foods. GMO stands for genetically modified organisms. In a phrase, according to the Human Genome Project, “Combining genes from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology, and the resulting organism is said to be “genetically modified,” “genetically engineered,” or “transgenic.” Simply put, it’s a laboratory process of taking genes from one species and inserting them into another in an attempt to obtain a desired trait or characteristic.

Like creating non-browning apples.

There’s a lot of controversy swirling about GMOs, and the lion share of the discussion is about safety of these tampered-with food stuffs, much of which stems from the unknown. According to Science Magazine,

• there is little scientific study about their health risks
• safety test technology is inadequate to assess potential harm
• they can carry unpredictable toxins
• they may increase the risk of allergenic reactions

According to the book, Seeds of Deception by Jeffrey Smith, they are also linked to toxins, infertility, infant mortality, immune dysfunction, stunted growth, and death. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) reported that, “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. The AAEM asked physicians to advise patients to avoid GM foods.”

But according to many in the biotech industry say without real proof, it’s nothing more than fear mongering. Even the World Health Organization takes a neutral stance, given the dearth of hardcore, irrefutable evidence. “GM foods currently available on the international market have passed risk assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health. In addition, no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved.”

But back to the apples. According to CNEWS, “Canadian biotech company Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. has applied to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for permission to grow and market its ‘arctic granny’ and ‘arctic golden’ apples. The genetically engineered fruit, initially developed in Australia, was created with its gene responsible for enzymatic browning turned off, or ‘silenced.’”

At the very least, critics maintain that when these apples come on the market, it is the right of consumers to be told if they are GM, and in this country, that’s not the law.

The scary thing is that the complaints range from violent vomiting to kidney shutdown, and even with the rash of complaints, the companies contend there is nothing wrong with the snacks.

According to MSNBC, the treats are being sold under the label of Waggin’ Train and Canyon Creek Ranch brands produced by Nestle Purina PetCare Co., and Milo’s Kitchen Home-style Dog Treats, produced by the Del Monte Corp. The first two companies purchase the product from JOC Great Wall Corp. Ltd. of Nanjing, China.

The FDA has investigated and run toxic tests in the past, which has uncovered virtually nothing, yet the complaints continue. The companies also claim that their products are not responsible, either. The FDA has sent officials to China as recently as April to continue the investigation into the suspect food.

As it gains in popularity as a more humane way to deal with sex offenders, it begs the question: What is chemical castration?

Unlike surgical castration, which removes the testicles in man, chemical castration is usually a series of injections that causes chemical changes, including reducing sex drive, sexual compulsions and even capacity for arousal. The chemical is traditionally one of the anti-androgen drugs, which is basically a generic name for all kinds of drugs that counteract the effects of male hormones. This includes Depo-Provera and other forms of birth control and the female hormone progesterone.

In the case of the South Korean man, he will be given an injection every three months for the next three years to reduce his sexual urges. And will be monitored by anklet bracelet, according to the Global Post. 

But the action isn’t going unnoticed by human rights, church and civil liberties groups, all of whom strongly object to the use of the forced use of chemicals on sex offenders. Asia’s independent Catholic news source, UCA has come against the decision, claiming that sexual crimes such as pedophilia don’t merely stem from aberrant sexual desires. It’s much more complicated than that. Sex crimes of are often ”carefully planned and continuous crime fostered by a distorted perception of sex and social attitudes that tacitly approve of violence,” says an official with the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center. That being the case, it casts doubt on whether chemical castration actually deters crimes at all, and only serves to maim and punish the perpetrator with no effect at all on the statistics.

In addition to South Korea, Israel, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Russian and Europe, there are at least nine states in America that use chemical castration as punishment for child molestation, according to Wikipedia. Pennsylvania is not one of them. California was the first, followed by Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin.

According to the published report, Dr. Shakil Afridi was charged with treason for running a fake vaccination programme to gather information. Despite Hillary Clinton’s demand that Afridi be released because his actions resulted in an act that served both the U.S. and Pakistan, that country insists that it’s only doing what any other country would do if one of its citizens was found conspiring with a foreign spy agency.

Officials in this country say the move stems from the rift that Bin Laden’s assassination has caused since Pakistan was “embarrassed” that Bin Laden had been successfully hiding within its borders and the doctor’s actions are in no way treasonous.

To read more about this story, click here.

The Pizza Patron chain, according to USA Today, has restaurants mainly in Latino communities located in Texas. In order to further entrench themselves in that community, it is sponsoring a free pizza day in June. The catch is: You have to order your pizza in Spanish.

Seems simple enough, but English-Only groups have gotten their knickers in a twist over the marketing ploy, claiming that it not excludes those who don’t speak Spanish, it promotes speaking another language except the mother tongue in this country–something in direct opposition to its movement.

Apparently, even some Latino groups are taking offense as well, saying it all boils down to discrimination. The pizza chain waves off all criticism, and is sticking to it’s plan. It apparently drew similar ire several years ago when it started accepting pesos as well as dollars for its pizzas.

I just read that airlines are now eyeballing these aisle seats as coveted real estate for which they can charge more. According to the Associated Press,a number of airlines are setting aside window and aisle seats for passengers willing to pay extra.

“Since last summer, American, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines and United Airlines have increased the percentage of coach seats requiring an extra fee. Some — like those on Delta, JetBlue Airways and United — come with more legroom. Others, including those on American and US Airways, are just as cramped but are window and aisle seats near the front.”

Depressing, to say the least. When I was a kid, part of the fun of going on vacation was the plane trip. I remember the days when you could check a bag, even two, for free. Meals, not just snacks, were served on flights over four hours. Headsets and small TV’s or an inflight movie were SOP. Now you pay for all of that.

I don’t like to be a negative Nell, but it really is becoming a chore to fly. With summer and travel going hand in glove, I don’t know about you, but as much as it’s killing me to spend money on gas and pollute the air, I am hitting the road in my car.

Just to be clear, the statistic doesn’t come from a study or poll. It comes from a British law firm, Divorce-Online, which says that its seen a 50 percent jump in case filings mentioning social networking in general and Facebook, in specific, as one of the causes for the breakdown in the marriage. Specifically, it draws its statistic from the 5000 filings it has processed over the past two years.

It would make sense Facebook can be a real threat to marriages because it opens doors to options that have been previously closed. But the Internet in general has done that for years, via all kinds of venues, the most notorious of which is chatrooms.

It is more likely, according to one Wall Street Journal blogger, that rather than facilitating affairs and online relationships, Facebook has been a fertile source for lawyers to gather evidence. For instance, incriminating photos–and not necessarily just those supporting allegations of an affair–but of other things as well, are fairly common to be used in proceedings. Those who claim to be broke during a divorce, but post photos of themselves overspending on expensive trips are a common mistake.

While it might be a natural leap to want to blame Facebook and other social media on the breakdown of a marriage, I think it’s ridiculous. Spouses ultimately are the ones who end their marriages.

The most publicized criminal trial in Australia involved the disappearance of the 2-month old baby from her tent during a family camping outing. The mother has consistently contended that her daughter was taken from the tent by a wild dingo, but a court found differently.

Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton spent three years behind bars following her jury conviction. She was adjudged wrongly convicted eight years after the conviction…In 1992, and she received $1.3 million compensation from the Australian government for wrongful imprisonment.

But this hasn’t been enough for the bereaved mother and father. They’ve been pushing for further investigation to conclude once and for all, how their daughter died. Though the body has never been found, her bloodied jacket was discovered not far from the campsite.

Chamberlain-Creighton has since set up a website, complete with photos, dedicated to shedding light on the truth of what happened that horrible night.

Someone in New York City is going to pay one million dollars to buy a single parking spot. It’s true. The parking spot is located in a 66th Street garage and comes with its own deed.

It’s 10 feet wide and 23 feet long, so there is the option for the owner to lease part of it to another motorist, you know, to earn some extra income.

Parking spots go for ridiculous sums of money in Manhattan because there is virtually no such thing as parking your car on the street and just leaving it there for days. Most streets are cleaned at least twice a week, which means moving your car. And much of the prime, on-street parking is metered, with black out times when you have to move your car. Parking garages can cost upwards of $50 a day.

Oh, and if I didn’t mention it, the parking space also comes with a monthly maintenance fee, just like a condo. How’s that for a bargain?