In January, for the first time ever, a United Nations panel will question Catholic officials on how and whether the Vatican is honoring an international children’s rights treaty. And this week, in Geneva, that panel will hear from two SNAP leaders, including David Clohessy of St. Louis, who argues that the church hierarchy continues to hurt and endanger kids. On Wednesday, Clohessy and SNAP’s Barbara Blaine will meet for three hours with the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child Committee.

On its website, Apple has released data regarding the almost 5,000 number of national security requests it has received.  Apple has now joined Facebook and Microsoft in releasing the info. The company says the most common forms of requests came from “police investigating robberies” and other matters such as missing children and trying to prevent suicides.

Attorney General Chris Koster said he has filed suit against a St. Louis business and its owner for numerous violations of Missouri’s no-call law. Koster filed the lawsuit against Pure Air Inc., doing business as Air Duct Cleaning, and its president, Noach Palatnik.  Koster said the Attorney General’s Office has received more than 1,000 complaints about unwanted calls from Pure Air since March. The lawsuit alleges that Pure Air used automated “robo-calls” to make thousands of calls to residents in the St. Louis area.  Many consumers asked the company to stop calling them, only to receive dozens more robo-calls.  In at least one instance, a company representative told a consumer that it was not subject to Missouri’s no-call law.. Missourians place their phone numbers on our no-call list for a very simple reason – they do not want to receive annoying, unwanted calls,” Koster wrote.  “We will continue to take action against companies that ignore Missouri law.” Koster is asking the court to stop the company from making any calls to Missourians on the no-call list and for penalties of $5,000 for each violation that occurred, in addition to paying for the costs of the investigation and prosecution of the case.

With LGBT spending power of $790 billion, brands like JC Penney, Bridgestone Tires, Crate & Barrel and American Airlines have brought out of the closet their marketing – picturing same-sex couples.

U.S. Ambassador to U.N. John Bolton will be the featured speaker at 7:30 a.m., Monday at the St. Louis Club during a fundraiser for Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich. . .Marquee superhero Superman takes off for an estimated $125 million over the three-day weekend in its north American bow of “Man of Steel”. . .The Domain of Columbia (Mo.) is a complex by a campus developer that has led to the construction of a luxury student living structure.  It is replete with a tanning salon, spa offering manicures/pedicures/facials, video game room, theater room and a 24-hour workout room. The Mizzou freshman population has climbed up more than 28 percent since 2007. . .It’s a shift from tradition. The Deaconess Foundation is beginning to fund more efforts that address systemic causes of social problems. The credit largely goes to Rev. Starsky Wilson who has pastored inner city churches and been a community organizer.  Also on his team: Elizabeth George, formerly with WashU social work school. . .A memorial tribute concert for the late broadcaster Ross Gentile will be held at 3 p.m., Sept. 8 in the Meridian Ballroom on the campus of SIUE.  Free parking on the lot.

The U.S. premiere of “Set My Hands to Heal” is set for 4:30 p.m., Saturday.It’s a moving documentary about Dr. Ann Maganaro, a local nun and physician who started a health clinic in Guarjila during the violent Salvadoran civil war in the 1980s.  Before that, Maganaro co-founded a Catholic Worker House and homeless shelter here. The film, shown on the 20th anniversary of Maganaro’s deathin conjunction with a fundraising dinner for the Interfaith Committee on Latin America (IFCLA)   Three of Maganaro’s sisters and IFCLA director Marilyn Lorenz traveled last week to Guarjila  for the movie’s world premiere. 

The weekend is coming up. Have Joan Quicksilver and Donna Wilkinson been photographed yet for their fixed positions in the weekly throwaways?. ..Ferguson (Mo.) Brewing Co. – closest to UMSL – has created Jubilee Brew to honor the 50th anniversary of the university.  It’s an Irish-style red ale. . .Oh, oh!  The Isle of Capri casino in Cape Girardeau is already cutting its morning hours. . .WashU Med researchers have identified a way to trigger reproduction of clusters of human cells that make insulin for type 1 diabetes patients. . .Three Missouri Catholic employees have made a list of church “whistleblowers” who have reported clergy sex crimes.  The list, just posted by BishopAccountability.org, includes Sr. Jean Christensen of Kansas City, former nun Lynette Petruska of St. Louis, who’s now a barrister with Chet Pleban’s law firm and Fr. Joseph Starman of Lincoln County (now deceased). . .”Brother Outsiders: The Life of Bayard Ruskin” will air Mon., June 24 at the History Museum. Rustin was one of the largely unsung heroes of the civil rights movement and the organizer of the historic 1963 March on Washington.  But his open gay lifestyle forced him to remain in the background.  Walter Naegle, partner and executor of the Ruskin estate, and St. Louis area activist Joan Lipkin will host a Q&A afterwards.

Florissant’s own Miss USA and runner-up to Miss Universe in 2004,  Shandi Finnessey, may now be seen in ads for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) in which she poses in the buff with a bevy of other winners. Finnessey is a grad of Incarnate Word and Lindenwood. . .Florissant warbler Cheryl Brown wowed the crowd t’other eve in Forest Park with her Motown tribute concert on the lawn in front of the Muny.  It was the last of several events marking the 100 year anniversary of the St. Louis chapter of the NAACP. . .Journalists are increasingly relying on social media and blogs for research as press releases and flacks lose their importance, according to OriellaPR, a network of PR agencies. The survey reveals that only 35 percent around the world feel print has more prestige with the exception of the U.S.. . .The Reynolds Journalism Institute at Mizzou has the largest fellowship class since its founding.