Terri Schiavo's Grave Marker Angers Her Parents

MSNBC, June 21 — Terri Schiavo died March 31. But the bronze grave marker ordered by her husband, Michael, notes that she “departed this earth” Feb. 25, 1990, the date she collapsed, MSNBC reported. The marker indicates that that is the date on which Terri was “at peace.”

The plaque also reads, “I kept my promise,” an apparent reference to Michael's claim that he promised his wife he would not keep her alive artificially.

“Obviously, that's a real shot and another unkind act toward a grieving mom and dad,” said David Gibbs, the attorney for the Schindlers.

Michael, who had said that he would bury Terri's ashes at a family plot in Pennsylvania, instead had the service and burial at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park in Clearwater, Fla. Bob and Mary Schindler, Terri's parents, were notified of the gravesite switch by fax after the June 20 service.

Hispanics Give Arlington Church a Boost

WJLA-TV, June 18 — Over the past decade, Hispanics have greatly increased the Catholic population in the Diocese of Arlington, Va., said TV station WJLA.

The diocese has witnessed a 42% increase in registered Catholics over that time period. The increase has led to the creation of a new parish and two new missions to serve the 84,000 Catholics living in three of the diocese's northern counties, where at least one-third of the Catholics are Hispanic. The diocese offers Spanish Masses in more than 30 of its 67 parishes.

U.S. Census figures show that the population of Hispanics more than doubled in size in northern Virginia from 97,559 in 1990 to 198,535 in 2000. Some 400,000 registered Catholics live in the diocese, with an additional 12,000 joining each year.

Editorial Writers Charge Star With Discrimination

EDITOR & PUBLISHER, June 15 — Two former employees of The Indianapolis Star have sued the newspaper, claiming that its newsroom managers “consistently and repeatedly demonstrated … a negative hostility toward Christianity,” reported Editor & Publisher magazine.

James Patterson and Lisa Coffey filed their lawsuit in federal court June 14. They are claiming religious, racial, and age discrimination against Editor and Vice President Dennis Ryerson, Publisher Barbara Henry, and the newspaper's owner, Gannett Company.

Ali Zoibi, vice president of human resources at the Indiana daily, said that the newspaper doesn't discriminate. He noted that the Indianapolis office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission dismissed the charges made by Patterson and Coffey.

Patterson and Coffey have asserted that management disagreed “with anyone who had a biblical view of homosexuality.”

“It appears that people at The Star, at a fairly high level, decided … that their views couldn't be tolerated,” said John Price, an attorney for the former employees.

Sony Expects PlayStation Pornography

TOP TECH NEWS, June 17 — Sony Computer Entertainment expects that pornography producers will soon release sexually explicit videos for Sony's PlayStation Portable game console, reported Top Tech News.

Sony's handheld PlayStation, which is used primarily by children and teens, uses a 2.3-inch optical universal media disc to play games or videos. Such discs can be produced and distributed by any company. Two producers of adult movies plan to sell their videos for the console beginning in July, with several other pornographers to follow.

“It is utterly undesirable, but we cannot stop software makers from selling such videos,” said a Sony public relations official.