If you have an unused mobile phone lying about, take it to your nearest Saint Vincent de Paul Centre and hand it in.

For every phone, they are able to get $3.

So you benefit by getting rid of a bit of clutter – meanwhile benefiting one of our most reliable charities.

And this recycling is obviously good for the environment.

* * *

The historical Saint Vincent de Paul, living in the 1600s, was into practical Christianity.

He said:

“To practise the love of Christ, acquire the habit of keeping him at all times present in our minds — in three ways:

(1)  when performing any action, consider the manner in Our Lord acted here upon earth, and imitate him.

(2)  remember that he continually looks down on us from heaven, offering us his grace.

(3)  and recognise him in the person of our neighbour.”

* * *

The modern-day St Vincent de Paul Society does all these things.

Vinnies Op Shops and Relief Centres are great examples of number (3).

Everyone is treated as a neighbour with generosity and respect.

Municipal Council tips are full of discarded analog television sets whose cathode ray tubes contain toxic components and cannot be recycled or just left lying around.

It costs a council about $20 each to have them properly disposed of.

One suggested alternative is to sell such sets off cheap as spare sets to put in children’s bedrooms . . .

* * *

No, please.

Already our children are mentally obtunded by the television seen in the lounge room. Shouldn’t we be discouraging such harmful passivity, not encouraging more of it?

And what will they be watching in the privacy of their room?

If a person entered your children’s room, swore continually, committed violent acts and indulged in acts of adultery in front of them, wouldn’t you get him/her out in a hurry?

Why install a machine which continuously portrays foul language, violence and adultery . . . ?

* * *

Think about making yours a television-free home.

If we don’t watch it ourselves, we’ll find more time to spend with our children

Help them become less dependent on artificial electronic amusements – to enjoy doing things, making things and reading decent books.

On 31 October 2011, we were told that on that day, or close enough, the baby bringing the world’s total population to 7 billion was born.

United Nations agencies and “environmentalist” groups consider that a disaster.

Are they right?

(1) The figure itself is probably incorrect.

Every local administration, world-wide, which gets funding from a bigger government tends to over-state the number of people it currently provides for – hoping to extract bigger handouts.

(2) We face a future of under-population.

80-plus nations now reproduce at rates insufficient to maintain a constant population.

Russia’s population will have fallen by 25 million by the year 2050.

Likewise Japan, Italy Spain etc.

(3) De-population will increase numbers of dependent elderly — exactly when numbers of young adults entering the workforce start plummeting.

(4) Big families are best for children to grow up in.

The older ones learn to look after the younger ones.

The “what’s in it for me” mentality is harder to get away with.

Ex-Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, has written a foreword to a book which promises to be political dynamite.

“How to get expelled from school”, by Professor Ian Plimer.

Its message is that “man-made-climate-change”, as taught in our schools, is not based on good science.

* * *

Prof Plimer also promotes conspiracy theories about government backing climate-change views simply to collect more taxes.

He would do better to stick to the point, i.e. to the scientific facts.

If Plimer and co. can demonstrate that the “changes” have been exaggerated — and won’t be reversed by decimating industry . . . .

No need then to resort to attacking personalities and motives.

* * *

Yes, we should care for the environment better.

Australians consume too much – mainly products made by workers (God’s children) who are virtually slaves, e.g. in China.

We say we don’t believe in slavery. We like an affluent lifestyle. We want it both ways. We are hypocrites.

The moral issue is more important than “climate-change”.

Sort that out and the “climate-change” issue — such as it is – may well sort itself out.

A report entitled, “Caring for our Australian Alps Catchments: Summary Report for Policy Makers” was released by Mr Greg Combet, Minister for Climate Change, last Monday, 10 October 2011.

It says that about 1000 gigalitres of water – 30 percent of total Murray-Darling flow – come from Australian Alps catchments, and are worth $9.6 billion per year to the nation.

It also says that, of these 235 catchments, 60 percent are in “substandard” condition.

Mr Combet then goes on to claim that, because of this, it is necessary that Australia reduce its output of what he insists on calling “greenhouse gases”.

And that the right way to do that is to press on with “putting a price on carbon”.

Yawn.

* * *

The irrigated region using all this water is Australia’s largest producer of WINE GRAPES.

Much of that wine is exported – but nearly half goes down the throats of citizens of Australia.

Sales of alcoholic drinks in Australia in 2007 were estimated at 2.7 BILLION litres.

Alcohol drinking is Australia’s biggest health problem — and its biggest social problem, crime-wise.

If we are so short of water, why not, as a first step in saving some, stop WASTING it producing wine grapes?

Victoria and David Beckham, husband and wife celebrities, famous for their careers as Spice Girl Posh and footballer respectively, had their fourth child, a daughter, Harper, on 10 July 2011.

Since which they have been unmercifully attacked by population-control lobbyists as “bad role models”.

Such progressives consider children as merely unwanted expenses in their own self-absorbed lives — and as sources of carbon dioxide, bad for the planet’s environment.

* * *

There is, however, another consideration.

With the US economy now come unstuck — having spent too much money invading distant nations and insisting on absurdly big houses, cars etc. — a vacuum is created in this world.

Favourites for becoming next top nation are the BRIC quartet: Brazil, Russia, India and China.

China has already shot itself in the foot with its one-child policy.

Today’s middle-aged Chinese will soon find there aren’t enough young workers to support them in their declining years.

The nation with the healthiest demographic pattern is India – with families more like the Beckhams.

But India has its own greed-related problems — potentially explosive contrasts between how rich and poor live.

60 percent of Indians depend on agriculture to survive — their income representing just 14 percent of the nation’s total income.

* * *

In a good world, would not typical married couples have lots of children . . . ?

A substantial percentage of the rest living celibate lives — devoting themselves to religion, health, education and welfare?

Greed is the universal enemy

Greed is the offspring of irreligion.

If this life is all there is, then why not go flat-out for fame, money and showing-off . . . .

Anybody getting in the way, just shove them aside.

Or kill them.

Many of today’s adults with tiny or non-existent families, are believers in euthanasia.

Their children, if any, are going to believe in it, too.