Policy 713 and kids: Fact checking 4 statements made by the premier
CBC
23-05-18 14:55
The Premier of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, Blaine Higgs, has questioned an education policy designed to protect LGBTQ children which prevents teachers from informing parents if their child changes their name or pronouns. Policy 713 was created in 2020 and aims to reduce discrimination against LGBTQ children in schools. Higgs has stated that the review is being conducted to restore parents’ rights by removing the “informal name or pronoun” provision. The policy requires teachers to be sensitive to their students’ needs and to support them when they attempt to use their preferred names and pronouns. The Premier’s comments have been criticized by some for placing children’s safety at risk. Statistics Canada reports that suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 24 in the country, with LGBTQ youth being three times more likely to attempt suicide than their non-LGBTQ peers.
After being acquitted of defaming his ex-wife Amber Heard, actor Johnny Depp has spoken out about the alleged domestic violence he suffered as a child. Depp claimed his mother was "quite violent and quite cruel", adding that she would hit him with objects like an ashtray, often hitting him in the head and using a "high heeled shoe or a telephone or whatever was handy". Describing his relationship with his father, Depp claimed he was "shy" and "stoic" and used to beat him with a belt. This comes ahead of a documentary series on Channel 4 called "Depp vs Heard" which airs on Sunday 21 May.
PC minister says not enough LGBTQ consultation in policy review
CBC
23-05-18 19:25
Arlene Dunn, a senior cabinet minister in the New Brunswick government, has stated that there has not been enough LGBTQ community consultation on a policy review. Policy 713 is being reviewed, and the sets out minimum requirements for schools to create a safe, inclusive space for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities. One element of the policy, which allows students under 16 to adopt new names or pronouns in the classroom without informing their parents, has been criticised by the Premier, Blaine Higgs.
Book banning has returned to America, according to Reuters, which said battles over what children should read have reached the Legislative floor in Texas. In the current school year, nearly 40 bills have been put forward to control what get placed on library shelves, leading to some 438 books being banned in the state – more than anywhere else in America. Texas librarians have been vilified, accused of paedophilia and even threatened with violence, according to reports. PEN America, a nonprofit centred around freedom of expression, said in Texas there is a “larger, coordinated movement to ban books, ideas, and knowledge for students in schools.” The problem is spreading to the UK where a third of librarians have been asked to censor or remove books by members of the public, Cilip research showed.
Parents in the US have sued the state in some cases, while many of Texas’ lawmakers have made book bans a part of their campaign strategies, Reuters wrote. It quoted Tiffany Justice, co-founder of campaign group Moms For Liberty, which is organising petition drives and meetings with school officials across districts to censor reading lists, as saying: “Many books have been found to contain pornography and have nothing to do with education curriculum.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued new recommendations on how government-run public schools should help combat America’s childhood obesity epidemic. The recommendation sparked outrage with some critics saying that it takes decision-making power from parents and gives it to unelected, unaccountable administrators. The AAP’s guidelines call for a “whole child” approach to solving obesity, which would place all medical records, access to healthcare, and social services within each k-12 school. The AAP recognises that many issues that contribute to weight gain—from divorced or single-parent homes, fast food heavy diets in the car, financial stress, to cultural habits, but calls for medical interventions and school-based care. The family is relegated to the fourth position in how effective “whole-child” healthcare can be provided. The days of nutrition, exercise, and educating parents on healthy nutrition are long gone, instead, families play an observant role, supporting the primary work of the school in caring for their children.
Swimmer Riley Gaines was ambushed and hit by transgender activists after she spoke about being forced to compete against Lia Thomas - a man who identifies as a woman - in swimming competitions. Gaines appeared at San Francisco State University to argue that transgender women should not be allowed to compete against women. However, left-wing and pro-transgender factions organised a violent attack on Gaines after the talk, shouting expletives at her and her husband, who was with her. These incidents, coupled with Leftist protestors at Stanford Law School who brandished posters accusing Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan of crimes against trans people, show how toxic America's culture around transgenderism has become.
Transgender activists demand that everyone accept that people can redefine their sex by wishing it so. Their increasing violence on this issue is becoming more and more evident, and Gaines bravely showed the courage required to draw attention to it. Therefore, the 23-year-old may have been left shaken, but she remains undeterred. However, similar attacks are becoming all too frequent and are escalating in their ferocity, as evidenced by Judge Duncan’s talk at Stanford Law School, where the subject had no bearing on transgenderism, and yet protestors still appeared to intimidate him.
Transgenderism poses a significant threat to a free society, especially when people are made to address people as something other than their biological sex. However, if America is to remain an open and free society, it is essential to resist this kind of bullying. While it will not be easy, it must be done. Otherwise, America faces an increasingly totalitarian future, with violence from Leftist and pro-transgender activists becoming even more widespread.
Last week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation publicly rescinded an internal memo on “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology” the day after a whistleblower had published it. The memo suggested that the FBI should monitor these Catholics through “the development of sources with access” and listed “hate groups” published by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SLPC) as a place to start this work. The FBI’s decision to cite the SPLC, which has essentially suggested that the entire Roman Catholic Church should be considered a “hate group,” should trigger alarm bells for anyone who cares about Americans' First Amendment freedoms.
Yeshivas, New York’s Orthodox Jewish schools, have won a significant judicial victory in the state. New York state had, under pressure from a campaign backed by teachers' union leader Randy Wieingarten, sought to require private schools including yeshivas, which are not covered by an exemption, to provide an education “substantially equivalent” to that offered by state schools. Schools facing inspection by the state and deemed to be deficient could have been required to close. However, last week Judge Christina Ryba ruled that parents were responsible for ensuring a child is properly educated, rather than the schools themselves.
Cross-border assisted reproductive technology (ART) is enabling parents to pay surrogate mothers in foreign countries to gestate babies using their sperm or eggs. This is referred to as a new form of baby farming, distinct from those of the Victorian era. The practice is illegal in China, but wealthy Chinese citizens are reported to frequently use foreign surrogate mothers, for fees of well over $100,000. In California, which requires an ID to adopt a pet, tourists can manufacture a child with no background check, due to lax immigration and nationality laws. Citing risks to women, children, and national citizenship and welfare systems, the writer urges the US government to prohibit such surrogacy.
Parents applaud push to close citizenship gap for foreign-born adopted children
CBC
23-05-19 08:00
Canadian lawmakers are examining changes that would give the foreign-born children of Canadian adoptive parents the same citizenship rights as those of children born in the country. A parliamentary committee has introduced proposals which might change a rule which bars internationally adopted children from automatically transmitting their citizenship by descent if they have children overseas. The law has been said to create an unjust unfair distinction between Canadian-born and international adoptees, with the latter sometimes facing negative effects on future study and work. In 2009, Canada introduced a “second generation cut-off” that meant automatic transmission of citizenship would stop if both parents were foreign-born. However, children from outside Canada who are adopted under the direct route are seen as the first generation born abroad, and so any children they have would count as the second, not classed as being born by descent.
US news station WBAL-TV has been criticised for running a story focusing on the actions of a man carrying an AR-15 on a street in Maryland. J’Den McAdory was said to be protesting against tough new gun control laws in the state and was filmed near an elementary school bus stop. Critics took to social media to accuse the channel of complicity in scaring children and giving publicity to a figure who undermines concerns about gun safety. Mr McAdory has reached an agreement with school authorities, stating that he will no longer protest during school pick-up or drop-off times.
Japanese kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke IV has been released from hospital a day after being hospitalised following the death of his parents at their home in Tokyo. Ennosuke was found, alongside a suicide note bearing his name, at the home, where his parents were found dead, apparently from an overdose of psychotropic drugs. It is suspected that the family attempted suicide together. The incident took place on the same day that a weekly magazine reported on allegations that Ennosuke had been involved in bullying and sexual abuse within his theatre group.
Irish boxer Katie Taylor's success is credited with paving the way for young female boxers in Ireland and has helped bolster recognition of the sport around the world, propelling women's boxing to new heights. Having sold out stadiums and assumed the mantle of an idol for male and female boxers alike, Taylor will face British fighter Chantelle Cameron in Dublin as she aims to become a two-weight undisputed champion, following her seminal success at the 2012 London Olympics, which marked the Olympic debut of the sport for women and was seen as a turning point for female boxers.
Dawn Allen, a surrogate applications and agreement co-ordinator for Surrogacy UK, is set to be a surrogate mother for the fourth time at the age of 50. She became a surrogate at the age of 36, and has had three surrogate babies and three unsuccessful attempts. Dawn said she is aware that the birth could be the hardest yet, but knows that, "nine months out of my life is nothing when you’ve got a chance to give parents a lifetime of happiness". Dawn met same-sex couple Nicky Spence, an operatic tenor and broadcaster, and Dylan Perez, a classical pianist, on Surrogacy UK’s platform in November 2022 and hopes to give them a baby.
When a young woman breaks off a relationship with a foreign student, the student's family feel annoyed that the former girlfriend didn't break up with him before he arrived to see her, thus saving him money. The respected advice columnist Ellie Tesher responds that the student may have been saved from a relationship that would not have been healthy for him as he matures. Tesher suggested it is important to not openly criticize the former partner outside of a protective circle, and that your son is likely to require support to build up his self-esteem.
Texan parents are dividing opinion online after charging their teenage daughter $200-a-month to live in their home. “Two hundred bucks a month is plenty cheap to live like a grub in your parents' house,” said Cody Archie. Comments are split on whether charging high school graduates rent is good parenting practice, with some arguing the measure is tough but worthwhile because it teaches financial responsibility, while others argue it sets a bad precedent. A recent study by TopCashback found that 32% of parents don't yet charge their offspring for bed and lodging.
Parents should avoid telling their children when they are on a diet in order to prevent "weight talk" that lead to poor wellbeing in their offspring, according to a guide by the British Dietetic Association and the University of Bath. The guide suggests avoiding the use of negative language and instead discussing “changes you make in terms of wanting to improve your health and energy” with emphasis on eating more healthily and being more physically active. The advice is backed by the British Government's Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. More than 20% of British children are overweight or obese at the beginning of primary school, according to the NHS.
Australian metropolitan parents are enrolling their children in boarding schools to save time commuting and receive more academic support, according to the Australian Boarding Schools Association. Approximately 5,900 boarding students across New South Wales (NSW) include around 1,000 with metropolitan families. Australian boarding schools have remained consistent in enrolment with about 20,490 students since 2012, despite growing from around 150 a decade ago to approximately 200 in 2020. However, boarding school income from overseas-international students, which had doubled in the past decade, has dropped since the pandemic, resulting in the closure of three schools in Victoria and Tasmania. There are 47 boarding schools in NSW, with the majority being high-fee private schools that charge up to $73,000 for boarding and tuition, while other state schools charge $13,000 annually. NSW state president of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association, Tanya Mitchell, is requesting a public all-girls boarding school option in the state for rural students.
New murder trial ordered for Ontario woman Jennifer Pan in plot to kill parents
CBC
23-05-19 18:40
Ontario’s Court of Appeal has ruled that a new first-degree murder trial is required for Jennifer Pan, 28, who was convicted in a murder-for-hire plot again her parents and sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 25 years. Her mother was killed and her father severely injured in an attack in 2010. Three others, including a former boyfriend, were also convicted. Pan and her co-defendants are appealing against their sentences and the Court of Appeal has also dismissed the appeals on the attempted murder convictions.
Jennifer Pan, a woman in the Toronto-area who was convicted in a murder-for-hire plot against her parents, will receive a new first-degree murder trial, Ontario's top court has ordered. Pan was sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 25 years in 2015. The three co-accused were also convicted on the same charges. The Court of Appeal for Ontario said the trial judge erred by suggesting to the jury only two scenarios for the attack.
