Australia: Pope visit boosts sex industry
As the Pope touches down in Darwin, Sydney's sex industry is ready for the big boom. Brothels have announced special "papal visit packages" for the 125,000 foreign visitors who come to Sydney for the World Youth Day (WYD) celebrations this week. Bordellos and sex shops across the city are expecting sensational turnovers. Many establishments have recruited extra staff to cope with the expected rush demand for sexual favours during the event. Some pride themselves on being able to welcome their pious international clientele in a wide range of languages with sex workers speaking French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Arabic, Thai, Korean, Nepalese and Mandarin.
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Protest against the Pope visit
In Sydney this week, a NoTo Pope Coalition, including local rationalist, atheist and secularist groups, plans to distribute free condoms to the participants of the WYD to spark discussions about the Vatican’s hypocritical stance on sexuality and personal freedom. They will also protest against the Australian government’s generous contribution of 160 million Dollar tax payers’ money for the WYD and against new regulations by the government of NSW to grant draconian powers to the police during WYD and slap a 5000 Dollar fine on anybody, who potentially “annoys” the visiting Pope - a blatant attack on free speech. www.NoToPope.com
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Romania: Crucifixes in schools are ok, rules Supreme Court
In Romania it is thumbs down for secularism: Schools just got the blessings of the Supreme Court for keeping all those religious symbols intact that adorn their classrooms. The decision overturned last year’s appeal court ruling that religious symbols had to be removed from schools as they were discriminating against atheists and people of other faiths. The Roman Orthodox Church celebrates the judgment. Today, the bishops count about 80% of the country’s population among their sheep. The former communist country is observing a religious revival.
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France: Court suspends "virgin case"
Is virginity an “essential quality” of a bride? Should husbands be able to legally insist on it? And in case it turns out to be lacking on the wedding night – should they be entitled to get the marriages annulled and to drop their brides like defective articles? This is currently a topic of hot debate in France.
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France: Ten stitches that can save a life
French plastic surgeons offer a new intact hymen to women who need to prove their virginity for marriage, social or religious reasons. The operation, conducted for outpatients in some private clinics, is just a cut and ten stitches, costing half an hour and two to three thousand Dollar. But for most of the clients, it opens a new life.
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More about Religion & Virginity
Read more about Religion & Virginity in the new issue of Modern Freethinker - Magazine of the Indian Rationalist Association.
Modern freethinker is published 12 times an year. If you are interested to get copies of Modern Freethinker, please send a mail with your full postal address to mf@indianrationalist.org
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Do you speak Polish?
We are very pleased to announce that from this issue onwards the Rationalist International Bulletin will be available in Polish language. It will be translated by Małgorzata Koraszewska, an active member of the Polish Rationalist Association. If you wish to get Polish edition of the Rationalist International Bulletin, please subscribe by sending a mail to Polski_Rationalist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
