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Showing posts with the label Economics

Credit Crunch - the lighter side

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On my trips around the motorway yesterday and today, I have listened to the news rather more than usual given that Gordon Brown has now gambled wisely invested so much of our money on bailing out the big banks. My friend at the Treasury emailed me a joke that is going round there and this reminded that the British are quite good at cracking black jokes in these circumstances. Here is a selection from those recycled in various places around the web. I went to the ATM this morning and it said "insufficient funds". I'm wondering is it them or me. With the current market turmoil, what's the easiest way to make a small fortune? Start off with a large one. What's the difference between an investment banker and a London pigeon? The pigeon can still make a deposit on a new Porsche. What's the capital of Iceland? About £3.50 Masked man walks into a bank with a gun: "I don't want any money - I just want you to start lending to each other..." Talk in the C...
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Fair Trade clergy shirts

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My attention has been drawn to a website that offers Fair Trade clergy shirts . Currently, only the "tunnel collar" variety are available: I have been criticised for wearing these. I certainly would not wear blue jeans and a white belt, though (I hope they are Fair Trade too.) It does seem that christian charitable organisations have assumed that there is no discussion needed about the merits of the Fair Trade movement which has drawn criticism from both ends of the political spectrum. At Wikipedia there is a comprehensive article on the Fair Trade Debate with criticisms and responses so that you can begin to make a judgement about the matter.
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"Diversity Toolkit" at HM Gov

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Her Majesty's Treasury was the venue for my lunch last week as I was meeting a friend who works there. I asked my friend for his views on the current end of the world global economic meltdown and he reminded me that it was the 16th anniversary of " Black Wednesday " which demonstrated that with the huge amounts of money sloshing around the foreign exchanges, there is little that government intervention can achieve in these situations - a lesson that governments find difficult to learn. The Treasury has a "Multi-Faith Prayer Room". This is kitted out with a shower, prayer mats and sandals, and had separate rooms for men and women. I wondered whether perhaps "multi-faith" meant sunni, shi'ite and sufi but there was also a bible on a table in the corner of the foyer. Next to the bible, there was a copy of the Treasury's "Diversity Toolkit" which includes a number of icebreaker games with "facilitator" and "participants...
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1962 Missal pdf online

The Church Music Association of America and Jeffrey Tucker of the New Liturgical Movement have made available the 1962 Missal online in pdf format (72Mb). The file is hosted at Musica Sacra , the website of the CMAA, thanks to a generous gift from Fr Robert Skeris While you are at it, take a look at the articles clarifying the rules for music at Low Mass and music at High Mass .
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Saint Gabriel

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The angels call for our veneration and awe as part of God’s creation. Part of the destructive modernism of the 1970s included advice to Catholic school teachers that they should not talk to children about angels. This wrought lasting damage which continues to need rectifying. We should include in our prayers a heartfelt recourse to our own Guardian Angels. The Archangel Gabriel “God is my strength” would be terrifying were he to appear to any of us. Our Lady was “troubled” at the word of Saint Gabriel and wondered at the manner of the salutation. Immediately, according to his mission, the awesome messenger explained himself. Modern retelling of the event is often reduced to the jejune “Mary said Yes to God”. In fact, she said “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word”. This conveys more accurately the flawless faith and trust of the Immaculata. In the infinitely wise providence of the Father, we now know the structure of the event in even more detai...
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Hand Illuminated Altar Cards

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If you need a set of Altar Cards, Breviarium Romanum now offers you a set of free copies of hand illuminated altar cards . Don't use the one above which is just a low-res example to illustrate this post. Go to the original site and download the high-res versions, prepared over six months by the mother of a priest; print them out and frame them. Suggested donation is $30 for the support of a Catholic family. H/T New Liturgical Movement
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Walsingham - the Anglican shrine

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Fr (Alfred) Hope Patten was appointed the Vicar of Walsingham in 1921 and wished to encourage devotion to Our Lady of Walsingham by having a new statue made, based on that depicted on the seal of the medieval Priory. In 1931, a "Holy House" was dedicated, enclosed within a small Church. In 1938, that Church was enlarged to for the present Anglican Shrine. Here is a rather fine ceramic of the Annunciation which is at the back of the shrine: The shrine at Walsingham traces its origin to the vision received in 1061 by the Saxon Lady Richeldis de Faverches. In her vision, she was taken to the Holy House at Nazareth. It was difficult at that time for Christians to visit the holy land because of their occupation by Muslim forces. Our Lady asked the Lady Richeldis to build an exact replica of the Holy House at Walsingham and hence Walsingham became known as "England's Nazareth." There are some curiosities at the Anglican shrine. Here is a statue of Charles, King and Ma...
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"A Brief History of Marriage" by John de Waal

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Family and Youth Concern has produced A Brief History of Marriage as a free online resource for schools. Many adults would find it a useful overview. Here is the summary from Family and Youth Concern: In twelve short chapters, experienced educator John de Waal traces the history of marriage from the ancient world of Egypt, Greece and Rome down to the present day. Along the way, he interacts with the disciplines of literature, theology, philosophy, psychology, politics and sociology in clear and accessible prose. Wide-ranging and varied in style, A Brief History of Marriage includes references to marriage customs, laws and policies through the ages, alongside extracts from love letters and quaint and homely tips given to husbands and wives in bygone days. Attractively produced and well-illustrated, this online resource is suitable for use in PSHE, history or Religious Education classes. Each chapter concludes with several questions which will stimulate further thought and p...
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