OH YES! THANK YOU, BISHOP GENE ROBINSON

Bishop Gene Robinson, of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, hits the nail on the head and explains in simple terms that we can all understand what Occupy Wall Street is about.

H/T to Jim Naughton at The Lead.

GHOST

There was a haunted house on the outskirts of town which was avoided by all the townsfolk: The ghost which 'lived' there was feared by all.

An enterprising journalist decided to get the scoop of the day by photographing the fearsome phantom. When he entered the house, armed with only his trusty camera, the ghost descended upon him, moaning piteously, clanking chains, and generally being hauntingly obnoxious. The reporter interrupted the moaning and said, "Hold on a minute! I mean you no harm. I just want your photograph for the newspaper. You'll be a sensation!"

The ghost was quite happy at this chance to make the headlines and posed for a number of ghostly shots.

The happy journalist rushed back to his darkroom and began developing the photos. Unfortunately, however, they all turned out to be black and underexposed.

So what's the moral of the story?

The spirit was willing but the flash was weak.


Cheers,

Paul (A.)

I know, I know. Halloween is past and gone, and if Paul (A.) wasn't a bit under the weather, I'd ask him to leave the stage. Perhaps, my posting his past sell-by date and corny joke will cheer him up and make him feel better. He is such a hero. His lovely wife Catherine said:

Paul(A.)'s lovely wife has been completely swamped with grading papers for the last few days, so Paul (A.) has arisen from his sickbed to make me dinner Friday, breakfast Saturday, and breakfast and dinner today. I may finish the grading in time to go to school tomorrow. God Bless Paul (A.)!

'DANSE MACABRE' FROM MR CATOLICK

Excellent video from Mr CatOLick.

The gentlemen in the danse are Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, former Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, Giles Fraser, and former Dean of St Paul's, Graeme Knowles.

WAXING GIBBOUS MOON

The picture shows the moon as it looked when I walked tonight.

Waxing gibbous moon
The words themselves a poem
Turning full moon soon

A repost which I use from time to time when the gibbous moon shines in the night sky.

ST EDMUNDSBURY AND IPSWICH DIOCESE SAYS STICK A FORK IN IT...

...the Anglican Covenant, that is. The synod of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocese in the Church of England voted to reject adoption of the covenant.

From Lesley's Blog:

The synod met on Saturday the 5th and the motion was rejected.

That makes the number of Dioceses in the Church of England split evenly:

Lichfield and Durham have voted for the Covenant.

Wakefield and Edmundsbury & Ipswich have voted Against.

This is fabulous news. I heard one Church of England bishop say recently that although he had reservations about the Covenant, he couldn’t speak against it because he had sworn an oath of obedience to Rowan Williams. It really does need to be the lay people and the clergy who stop this mad document. Well done Bishop Peter Selby, and well done to the members of Eds&Ips synod.

I agree. The vote to reject the covenant is fabulous news.

About this:

I heard one Church of England bishop say recently that although he had reservations about the Covenant, he couldn’t speak against it because he had sworn an oath of obedience to Rowan Williams.

????!!!

Bishop of Buckingham, Alan Wilson, in the comments to Lesley's post:

As a bishop who has taken an oath of canonical obedience in all things lawful and honest, I have to say I think it’s bizarre to think this commits me to blind obedience to any notion the Archibishop (sic) may adopt. I think it is a higher and more positive form of obedience to be more honest, and had some of my colleagues had the spine to advise him earlier about their real feelings about some of the drawbacks in this particular scheme it would have been an act of loyalty, not disloyalty. In none of my dealings with him (which are not amazingly extensive) have I ever seen anything that implies he would want anything less than honest critical friendship.

And we all say, 'Amen!'. Of course, as former colonials, what we say may not count. Still, I commend Bishop Alan, and I only wish a greater number of bishops in the Church of England had his courage.

Picture from Wikipedia.

LSU - 9 ALABAMA - 6

WE SAID, 'GEAUX TIGRES', AND THEY WENT!

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FRIEND CATHY

Cathy's Birdbrain, picture above, passed away last night. Please pray also for Groucho, her mate, pictured behind Birdbrain, who is missing her very much. Cathy said:

I loved her dearly and she was a clever birdie, inquisitive and sweet, and had all sorts of little quirks and used to talk to me in all sorts of ways that no other bird has done or will do. The boy bird, Groucho, is still pretty quiet and refuses to eat or drink.
....

I will keep her here for a couple of days and then get her cremated - I want to keep her ashes. I don't want to bury her because I may not stay in this flat and I want her close by me, not in some pet graveyard. At the moment I can't even think straight, or stop crying.

Birdbrain looks such a sweet birdie, with her blushing feathers on her cheek. I know how Cathy loved her birdies. In all our rush of activities in London and with Cathy working, I never got to see Birdbrain and Groucho, but I wish I had.

O Lord our God, we come before You this day in sadness. Birdbrain, who brought Cathy so much joy in life, has now died. Her happy times with Cathy and Groucho have come to an end. They miss Birdbrain already.

Help Cathy, O God, to remember the good times with Birdbrain. Remind her to rejoice in the happy times she brought to her home. Let her be thankful for the good life she was blessed to give to her.

We are grateful to You, God, for creating Birdbrain, for entrusting her to Cathy's care, and for sustaining her in her love for a measure of time. We understand that all that lives must die. We knew that this day would come. And yet, O God, she would have wanted one more day of play, one more evening of love with Birdbrain.

O God, as Cathy has taken care of Birdbrain in life, we ask that You watch over her in death. You entrusted Birdbrain to Cathy's care; now, she gives her back to You. May she find a happy new home in Your loving embrace.

As we remember Birdbrain, may we love each other more dearly. May we care for all Your creatures, for every living thing, as Cathy protected the blessed life of Birdbrain. May her memory bless our lives with love and caring forever. Amen.

Prayer (with editing) by Rabbi Barry H. Block.

9-9-9

It was reported tonight that Herman Cain devised his famous tax plan after his romantic advances were rejected by three consecutive German women.

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

I'm rolling on the floor with this one.

UPDATE: I just watched the Rachel Maddow segment on Herman Cain. Unbelievable!

Cain: "I'm proud to know the Koch brothers.... I am the Koch brothers' brother from another mother."

Rachel is right. Cain's campaign is all theater. He's putting his followers on, and they don't seem to know, or, if they know, they don't care.

ABOUT THAT ANGLICAN COVENANT...

...the Tikanga Maori says:

The Anglican Covenant is all but dead in the water as far as this church is concerned. This follows a crucial vote by Tikanga Maori at its biennial runanganui in Ohinemutu today.

The Covenant will still come before General Synod in July, but a decision to accept it requires a majority vote in all three houses – lay, clergy and bishops – and by all three tikanga.

Today's runanganui decision effectively binds all Maori representatives on General Synod to say no.

Two of the five hui amorangi – Te Manawa o Te Wheke and Te Tairawhiti – have already rejected the Covenant, largely on the grounds that it could compromise Maori rangatiratanga (sovereignty).

Moving today's resolution, Archdeacon Turi Hollis noted that the Covenant applied at provincial level. "If one diocese makes a decision that another objects to – then the whole province will be held accountable," he said.

“We are being asked to conform to the standards of the rest of the world. Yet we have a constitution that the rest of the world does not understand.

“Would that have been agreed to had the Covenant been in force?

“The proposed Covenant is trying to impose on us something that should be based on relationship – on whanaungatanga or manaakitanga.”

Seconding the motion, the Rev Don Tamihere said the Covenant was not about homosexuality.

“It is about compliance and control.

“We are being asked to sign over our sovereignty, our rangatiratanga to an overseas group… To a standing committee over whom we have no choice or control. And they have the power to recommend punishment.

“The proposed Covenant offers us nothing new – or nothing we need as Anglicans, as Hahi Mihinare, or as disciples of Jesus Christ.

“We don’t need it to have faith in Jesus Christ: We already have a covenant that binds us to our saviour, Jesus Christ. And that is the only covenant we need.”

Philip Charles (Te Waipounamu) said: “Over the years, the practice has been: If you disagree with the church, you leave.

“And those groups who have left have often withered and died.

“The Covenant changes that. If you disagree with a group – you kick them out.

“I give it two thumbs down.”

The Rev Ngira Simmonds (Manawa o te Wheke) pointed out that to be Anglican means to be in relationship with people – even if you don’t like them.

“We want this church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia to focus, instead, on acting for the restoration of justice.”

No mincing of words there. I intended to emphasize my favorite words in the quote but then decided to put the entire quote in bold.

I'm not sure that the rest of the world understands the constitutions and canons of the Episcopal Church, either, and I expect that the constitutions of a good many of the churches in the Anglican Communion could be compromised by adopting the covenant.

EFFICIENCY EXPERT

An efficiency expert concluded his lecture with a note of caution: "You don't want to try these techniques at home."

"Why not?" asked somebody from the audience.

"I watched my wife's routine at breakfast for years," the expert explained. "She made lots of trips between the refrigerator, stove, table, and cabinets, often carrying a single item at a time. One day I told her, 'Hon, why don't you try carrying several things at once instead of just one thing?'"

"Did it save time?" the person in the audience asked.

"Actually, yes," replied the expert. "It used to take her twenty minutes to make breakfast. Now I do it in seven."


Cheers,

Paul (A.)

I'm considering turning my blog over to Paul (A.)

HAPPY 121st BIRTHDAY TO THE LONDON UNDERGROUND!

 

Click on the map for the larger view.

I'm proud to report that during my time in London this past July, I never once took the wrong train or got off at the wrong station.

H/T to The Writer's Almanac.

'THE KINGS ENGLISH - 100 PHRASES IN 3 MINUTES'

I'd give credit if I remembered how I found the video, but...alas....

THE DANGEROUS 'MISSISSIPPI INITIATIVE 26'

Abortion is a difficult subject for me. I expect that a good many of my friends might disagree with my views, which I won't go into here and which I have no desire to impose on the entire world. What I will say is that all of the statements in the image above are true. A fertilized egg is not a 'person' from the moment of conception.

Elizabeth Kaeton says at Telling Secrets:

The "Mississippi Initiative 26" - the “personhood” amendment on the November 8th ballot - aims to sidestep existing legal battles, simply stating that “the term ‘person’ or ‘persons’ shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.”

It would effectively end access to reproductive health care in Mississippi — including banning all abortions, with no exceptions for rape or incest or the life of the woman; some forms of contraception; and in vitro fertilization.

It also offers the frightening possibility that doctors would not be able to provide life-saving medical treatment to a pregnant woman, for example, in the case of an ectopic pregnancy.

Even Roman Catholic bishops are against the amendment. The dangerous 'personhood' initiative is spreading to other states and needs to be stopped. Please read all of Elizabeth's excellent post.

PRAIRIE

From xkcd:

(some physics background necessary)

Cheers,

Paul (A.)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!

Statue of Richard Hooker in front of Exeter Cathedral.

O God of truth and peace, who raised up your servant Richard Hooker in a day of bitter controversy to defend with sound reasoning and great charity the catholic and reformed religion: Grant that we may maintain that middle way, not as a compromise for the sake of peace, but as a comprehension for the sake of truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

From Lionel Deimel at Comprehensive Unity, The No Anglican Covenant Blog:

A year ago today, the No Anglican Covenant Coalition announced that it had come on the scene to defeat adoption of the Anglican Covenant. The date of November 3 was chosen because it is the day that Anglicans remember Richard Hooker, that quintessential Anglican theologian who, we believed, would be appalled at the direction the Anglican Communion seemed to be headed.

As the Coalition celebrates its first birthday, there is cause for both optimism and concern. The program to impose a repressive covenant on worldwide Anglicanism has lost momentum. Few churches have adopted it, and some of those that have have framed their actions in ways that undermine the intent of the proposed agreement. The GAFCON churches have largely rejected the Covenant as inadequate, and many Western churches are expected to reject it as too intrusive. The Covenant is not dead, but it is severely wounded.
....

Much has been accomplished in the past year, and there is reason to believe that the Anglican Covenant will never become the Anglican straightjacket that threatened to constrain Anglican thought and action. Defeating the Covenant is, nonetheless, an ongoing task. Re-imagining the Anglican Communion to allow it to move forward as an instrument of God’s grace and mercy in the twenty-first century will be an even more daunting enterprise. It is a task about which Anglicans everywhere should be thinking and praying.

Read the post in its entirety at the link above.

Photo of the Richard Hooker statue from Wikipedia.

THIS EXPLAINS A LOT!

Exposed! Over 40% of the United States Congress are members of the richest 1%!

Click on the image for the larger view.

Thanks to my friend Paul on Facebook.

A VISION OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION?

James Ussher, Irish primate and Archbishop of Armagh by Sir Peter Lely - National Portrait Gallery, London

[Archbishop of Canterbury William] Laud's interference in the affairs of the Church of Ireland, aided by [King]Charles [I]'s high-handed Lord Deputy in Ireland, Thomas Wentworth, Lord Strafford, likewise angered the Irish primate, James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh. Ussher was a rare figure as a member of an old Irish family which had become firmly Protestant, for the established Church had failed to carry more than a minority of the people of Ireland with it away from Catholicism. He is now unfairly remembered only for the misguided humanist historical precision of his calculation that God created the world on the night preceding 23 October 4004 BCE, but he was a formidable scholar who wanted to defend the independence of his Protestant Church. Ussher knew the Irish Church's weakness was the result of a badly funded and badly administered Reformation, in a country in which English colonial interference produced a state of permanent crisis, but nevertheless he saw it as a potential vehicle of proper Reformation in Ireland. He was very consciously part of an international Reformed Protestant world, but in his discreet efforts to maintain his position against Archbishop Laud, Ussher might also be seen as the first senior churchman to have a vision of episcopally governed sister Churches which might cooperate in a common identity across national boundaries, without any single leader to tell them what to do. Without knowing the later phrase, he was envisioning the worldwide Anglican Communion. (My emphasis)

Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch, p. 651.

I must say that I was pretty excited when I read the paragraph above. Archbishop Ussher was a true visionary way back in the 18th century. At present, we're still fighting the battle to resist the Archbishop of Canterbury's attempt to force the centralization of power on the churches in the communion with the Anglican Covenant.

Image from Wikipedia Commons.

THE RAINBOW HEDGE

Pictured above is the Beech Hedge at Meikleour near Perth and Kincross snapped by Bishop David Chillingworth, Primus of Scotland, who blogs at Thinking Aloud. Isn't it gorgeous?

From Wikipedia:

The Meikleour Beech Hedge(s) (European Beech = Fagus sylvatica), located near Meikleour, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, alongside the A93 Perth-Blairgowrie Road, was planted in the autumn of 1745 by Jean Mercer and her husband, Robert Murray Nairne on the Marquess of Lansdowne's Meikleour estate. It is said the hedge grows towards the heavens because the men who planted it were killed at the Battle of Culloden.

The hedge is noted in the Guinness World Records as the tallest and longest hedge on earth, reaching 30 metres (100 ft) in height and 530 metres (1/3 mile) in length. The hedge is trimmed once every ten years but remains viewable to visitors all year round.

TWO POSTERS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

 

 

From Americans Against the Tea Party on Facebook.

HORRIBLE...HORRIBLE

From WWLTV:

Sixteen people were shot and at least two killed in a bloody Halloween in New Orleans that included gunfire on Bourbon Street, the tourist hot spot in the French Quarter.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, at a news conference called Tuesday in response to the five separate shootings, said a “culture of violence,” that involved young black men with illegal guns has plagued the city and must be stopped.

“This continues to be a battle for the future of our city,” Landrieu said.

Around midnight, two men started firing at each other on Bourbon Street — near the famous Chris Owens night club. When the gunfire stopped, Albert Glover, 25, of New Orleans, was dead and seven others injured. Police spokesman Garry Flot said the injuries were not life-threatening.

I've told visitors to New Orleans that they are safe where the people are, but I don't believe I can say that any longer. The mayor is right. New Orleans' future is at stake.

It's like the Wild West with shootouts in the street. In the culture of violence amongst the boys and young men, arguments, even over minor incidents, are all too often settled with guns and then followed by revenge shootings. Breaking the cycle of violence will be a difficult task.

Will I stop going there? No, but the convention and tourist trade may be gravely affected by stories such as this, and the New Orleans economy is heavily dependent upon tourism.

I weep for my home city.

O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred, or bitterness, or violence and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer with slight editing)

'ST PAUL'S SUSPENDS LEGAL ACTION AGAINST PROTEST CAMP'

From the website of St Paul's Cathedral:

01 November 2011

The Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral has unanimously agreed to suspend its current legal action against the protest camp outside the church, following meetings with Dr Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, late last night and early this morning.

The resignation of the Dean, the Rt Rev Graeme Knowles, has given the opportunity to reassess the situation, involving fresh input from the Bishop. Members of Chapter this morning have met with representatives from the protest camp to demonstrate that St Paul’s intends to engage directly and constructively with both the protesters and the moral and ethical issues they wish to address, without the threat of forcible eviction hanging over both the camp and the church.

It is being widely reported that the Corporation of London plans to ask protesters to leave imminently. The Chapter of course recognises the Corporation’s right to take such action on Corporation land.

The Bishop has invited investment banker, Ken Costa, formerly Chair of UBS Europe and Chairman of Lazard International, to spearhead an initiative reconnecting the financial with the ethical. Mr Costa will be supported by a number of City, Church and public figures, including Giles Fraser, who although no longer a member of Chapter, will help ensure that the diverse voices of the protest are involved in this.

The Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres, said: "The alarm bells are ringing all over the world. St Paul’s has now heard that call. Today’s decision means that the doors are most emphatically open to engage with matters concerning not only those encamped around the Cathedral but millions of others in this country and around the globe. I am delighted that Ken Costa has agreed to spearhead this new initiative which has the opportunity to make a profound difference.”

The Rt Rev Michael Colclough, Canon Pastor of St Paul’s Cathedral and a member of Chapter, added: "This has been an enormously difficult time for the Cathedral but the Chapter is unanimous in its desire to engage constructively with the protest and the serious issues that have been raised, without the threat of legal action hanging over us. Legal concerns have been at the forefront in recent weeks but now is the time for the moral, the spiritual and the theological to come to the fore.”

Of course, the protestors will eventually be forced out, but at least St Paul's will not now be complicit in the action. Better late than never.

H/T to Simon Sarmiento at Thinking Anglicans.

UPDATE: The City of London Corporation presses the pause button:

Stuart Fraser, the City of London Corporation’s Policy Chairman, said today:
‘The Church has changed its standpoint and announced it is suspending legal action on its land.

Given that change, we’ve pressed the ‘pause’ button overnight on legal action affecting the highways – in order to support the Cathedral as an important national institution and give time for reflection.

‘We want to leave more space for a resolution of this difficult issue – while at the same time not backing away from our responsibilities as a Highway Authority.

‘We’re hoping to use a pause – probably of days not weeks – to work out a measured solution.
‘We will make a further announcement tomorrow lunchtime.’

Thanks again to Simon at Thinking Anglicans.

HOW TO UNCLOG AN OVERFLOWING TOILET

DO NOT ASK YOUR DOG TO DO IT!

Image and advice from WikiHow.

Since the problem involved two toilets and two bathtubs, it was too big for me to handle, so the plumbers are here now trying to unclog the plumbing. Bless them for coming quickly. Unfortunately, one of the toilets had been used before it overflowed. I turned off the water supply quickly, so not too much spilled over onto the floor. Still...eeeww.

Grandpère is gone for most of the day with his cell phone turned off, but it's probably best that he's not here, since he's excitable about this sort of thing. Best to let the plumbers do their thing without him hovering over them in a state of nerves.

What a start to the holy day. Things can only get better, right? Please say, 'Yes!'

UPDATE: The problem is fixed. There was a blockage in the pipe that runs through our yard to the city line. The roots of two crepe myrtles planted over the pipe may have contributed the blockage. We have a decision to make.

We have wonderful plumbers. For minor plumbing malfunctions, they may take a while to come, because they're much in demand, but when there's a serious problem, they come quickly. It doesn't hurt that the same plumbers installed the plumbing in the house 28 years ago.

ALL SAINTS DAY

Icon of Second Coming (also used for All Saints Sunday). Christ is enthroned in the center surrounded by the angels and saints, Paradise is at the bottom, with the Bosom of Abraham (left) and the Good Thief (right) holding his cross - Anonymous, Greece

From The Carmina Gadelica:

The holy Apostles’ guarding,
The gentle martyrs’ guarding,
The nine angels’ guarding,
Be cherishing me, be aiding me.

The quiet Brigit’s guarding,
The gentle Mary’s guarding,
The warrior Michael’s guarding,
Be shielding me, be aiding me.

The God the elements’ guarding,
The loving Christ’s guarding,
The Holy Spirit’s guarding,
Be cherishing me, be aiding me.

Ecclesiasticus 44:1-10,13-14

Let us now praise famous men,
and our fathers in their generations.
The LORD apportioned to them great glory,
his majesty from the beginning.
There were those who ruled in their kingdoms,
and were men renowned for their power,
giving counsel by their understanding,
and proclaiming prophecies;
leaders of the people in their deliberations
and in understanding of learning for the people,
wise in their words of instruction;
those who composed musical tunes,
and set forth verses in writing;
rich men furnished with resources,
living peaceably in their habitations --
all these were honored in their generations,
and were the glory of their times.

There are some of them who have left a name,
so that men declare their praise.
And there are some who have no memorial,
who have perished as though they had not lived;
they have become as though they had not been born,
and so have their children after them.

But these were men of mercy,
whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten.
Their posterity will continue for ever,
and their glory will not be blotted out.
Their bodies were buried in peace,
and their name lives to all generations.

PRAYER

O Almighty God, who have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those indescribable joys which you have prepared for those who truly love you: through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.

A diverse selection to celebrate the feast day of the saints: a Greek icon, a Gaelic prayer, a passage from the Hebrew Testament, and a prayer from The Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Image from Wikimedia Commons.