Just in case you missed this on MyT.
Good to put a face to the name.
Author: Araminta
Celibacy – at what cost?
Secret mistresses of Italian priests call for Pope to scrap celibacy rule
Pope reaffirmed ‘the value of sacred celibacy’, technically an historic rule of the Church rather than an unchangeable doctrine, in the wake of the paedophile scandals that have rocked the Church.
It seems bizarre to me, that the Pope insists that priests remain celibate all their lives. It is not after all a doctrinal imperative, as he recently admitted; merely that it has its origins in history.
I don’t subscribe to the view that allowing Catholic priests to marry would improve the lamentable incidents of paedophilia, but it would surely make them more understanding of the problems of their congregations, and would go a long way towards banishing the misogynist attitudes of the Roman Catholic Church. Continue reading “Celibacy – at what cost?”
The Chandlers still hostages
It has been a long time and whatever the rights and wrongs of this; the Chandlers are not back home “dining out” on this “adventure”, as was suggested when they were first captured. They are still pawns and there are no guarantees, as far as I can see, that they will survive this ordeal.
None of us are perfect but….
Do not be hectoring or arrogant. Those who disagree with you are not necessarily stupid or insane. Nobody needs to be described as silly: let your analysis show that he is. When you express opinions, do not simply make assertions. The aim is not just to tell readers what you think, but to persuade them; if you use arguments, reasoning and evidence, you may succeed. Go easy on the oughts and shoulds. ( Telling people they are talking nonsense is a bit of a turn off; and does not further the debate.)
Do not be too pleased with yourself. Don’t boast of your own cleverness by telling readers that you correctly predicted something or that you have a scoop. You are more likely to bore or irritate them than to impress them.
Do not be too chatty. Surprise, surprise is more irritating than informative. So is Ho, ho, etc. ( Hmm, don’t agree with this one at all, but I suppose it wouldn’t go down too well on the Economist)
Do not be too didactic. If too many sentences begin Compare, Consider, Expect, Imagine, Look at, Note, Prepare for, Remember or Take, readers will think they are reading a textbook (or, indeed, a style book).
How very sad
Well Well!
Interesting but quite absurd situation Elsewhere. The Spammers seem to be winning, despite emails and entreaties; Blog Central seems unable to deal with the problem.
Had I but known: Araminta, philistine, encounters Jon Vickers.
My thanks to Zen for his earlier post, Opera, my real musical love..
Now I have to confess that I am not a great opera fan, but do enjoy some of the better known arias or should that be arie! Alas, when I was younger, I was rather more interested in the Beatles, or occasionally Bach.
Zen’s post reminded me of something I have not thought of in years, and took me on an interesting trip around cyperspace to solve the puzzle.
When I was at a loose end in my early twenties, I worked in a rather splendid country house hotel; not so much as a career move, because I hadn’t actually decided on a career, but more to help out family friends.
One of the guests was an opera singer who was singing at Covent Garden, he preferred the peace and quiet to unwind after his performances and disliked staying in London hotels. He also enjoyed his food and the hotel restaurant was quite well-known nationally and internationally. All I could recall was that he was Canadian and his Christian name was Jon. Continue reading “Had I but known: Araminta, philistine, encounters Jon Vickers.”
The politics of immigration and identity
Most countries that try to assimilate immigrants, such as France and America, can point to a defining event when their national identity “began”; Britain did not have the same kind of revolution. But it has much else to inspire newcomers: a sweeping history that is also broadly progressive, a language everyone wants to speak, longer experience of racial diversity than most European nations. And “Britain” itself is a civic invention rather than an ethnic community, created in 1707 to supersede more blood-based notions of Englishness and Scottishness.
Immigration?
The BNP, which advocates an immediate end to the “immigration flood” into Britain, lost all 12 of its seats on Barking & Dagenham Borough Council, with the Labour Party winning all 51 seats for the first time in the borough’s history. Council leader Liam Smith said the BNP “has no policy and plays on people’s fears,” while his own party ran a positive campaign, focusing on the council’s record in the area. Many pundits predicted the BNP could gain control of the council, as an influx of immigrants in recent years has caused resentment among the London suburb’s predominantly white, working-class population.
Curiously, although immigration was said to be one of the main issues in this election, why did the BNP fail to gain any support, locally or nationally?
Religion and the state
Islam and democracy
The practice—and the theory
Can rule by the people be reconciled with the sovereignty of Allah?
“TURKEY sets a fantastic example for nations around the world to see where it’s possible to have a democracy coexist with a great religion like Islam.” Those were George Bush’s words of welcome, this week, to Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul.
This was in 2008, but is this still valid?
Ballad of Brave Monty Mouse: Part Three
Part Three: Strangers from afar
One sunny day in early spring
Monty heard his mobile ring.
Half asleep and still abed,
He answered, and a small voice said:
“Have you room for any more?
They’ve just arrived and very poor.
They came ashore not long ago;
They seem quite lost and spirits low: beware, you have been warned->
Boadicea's Chariot 
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