Scrolling around...August 23, 2012

LATimes: As circumcision declines, health costs will go up, study projects
...If circumcision rates remained about 50% instead of the higher rates of years past, the lifetime healthcare costs for all of the babies born in a single year would probably rise by $211 million, the team calculated...

The Return of the Extended Family
  Millions of middle-aged people have had to find room in their homes both for their grown-up children and their elderly parents as traditional large households make a comeback, a study shows.

A Nation Adrift From the Rule of Law: We are losing sight of the basic principles that made us great in the 20th century.
...Though one might excuse departures from the rule of law at the height of a crisis, one would expect to see a prompt reversion to rule-of-law principles immediately thereafter. The most famous 20th-century illustration was the Supreme Court's invalidation, in the 1952 case Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, of President Harry Truman's attempt to take over the steel industry during the Korean War.
By far the most disturbing element of recent trends is that precisely the opposite seems to be taking place. The commitment of government officials to the rule of law has continued to crumble—even after the crisis has subsided...

Report Highlights Consistent Pattern of Hostility Toward Christians in US
A new 140-page report released by the Family Research Council and Liberty Institute reveals a pattern of hostility toward Christians and Christianity in the U.S. The report was released earlier this week and includes over 600 incidents over a 10-year period.
The attacks range from rulings from the judiciary branch to an elementary school student who was physically lifted from his seat and reprimanded for praying before eating his lunch. Yet another example shows a Christian couple was fired as apartment complex managers and forced to move because a painting with a Christian reference was displayed in their office...

Prayer Vigil Shuts Down UK Brothel
...Thus began a month of prayer, with a small group posted across the street from the brothel each night, praying for those inside. “When we were praying, there was this sense that ‘We’re not alone in this,’” says Elyse. “Even when pimps were angry and telling us to leave, I had no reason to be afraid. God was in our midst.”
One particularly painful night came one week into prayer when the team witnessed young girls being delivered to the brothel. “It’s the difference between watching a documentary and seeing it right before your eyes,” says Elyse.
A month after praying began, the signs were removed, a notice was put on the door, and the brothel was shut down. The team couldn’t believe it at first; they continued to pray another night before actually reading the sign on the door that confirmed it. Elyse smiles as she remembers her team’s response. “We were kind of like ‘Whoa! It actually worked!’”...

Unearthed Video Shows Obama Supporting Late-Term Abortions
OBAMA: “I am pro-choice.”
REPORTER: “In all situations including the late term thing?”
OBAMA: “I am pro-choice. I believe that women make responsible choices and they know better than anybody the tragedy of a difficult pregnancy and I don’t think that it’s the government’s role to meddle in that choice.”...

Report: Multisite Churches Number Over 5,000, on the Rise
..."Of the 621 new churches started since January 2008 at least 50 percent or more were multisites," said Shockley.
"Of the 1,000 new churches we intend to start between 2013-2016 we are targeting 60 percent to be multisites, extensions or satellites of a vibrant existing UMC."...

Prelate laments desecration of churches in Cyprus
...Archbishop Chrysostomos II said that 120 churches have become mosques, museums, or storage facilities and that Turkey is attempting to eliminate Christianity in the area...

‘Fetal Flaw’: the new eugenics rising
This year has seen a rash of medical studies reporting on developments in cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) prenatal testing. Not too long ago, one commentator cautioned that as prenatal genetic testing becomes more pervasive, our society risks developing a “eugenics common sense.” The reporting on the new cffDNA testing suggests that some have already developed this sensibility...

Robert George: The Coming Pro-Abortion Spectacle in Charlotte
It looks like the Democratic Party’s leadership has decided to make the Party’s fierce commitment to protecting abortion against meaningful legal restrictions of any kind and extending its availability a, if not the, central theme of its national convention...

Americans Having Fewer Babies Crimping Consumer Spending
...“Children are really expensive,” Mollen said, and the 2008 financial crisis shows the importance of building a nest egg. “Retirement is not an option for a lot of folks.”
Mollen isn’t alone, as Americans have had fewer babies each year since the 2008 financial meltdown, with births falling to a 12-year low in 2011, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The low birth rate and reduced immigration resulted in the smallest gain in population since World War II, which may hurt spending on everything from Huggies diapers to pregnancy kits, child care and education...

UK: ONLINE PORN BLAMED FOR RISE IN SEX ATTACKS BY CHILDREN
CAMPAIGNERS yesterday called for new curbs on online pornography as it emerged the number of children facing sexual assault charges has more than doubled over the last year.
Official figures also revealed that rape charges against underage boys had reached a five-year high...