The kids are alright

One final post about Britain's Got Talent, which seems to be the flagship and most successful version of the brand: the winners were Ashley and Pudsy, a trained dog act; second place, Jonathan Antoine and Charlotte Jaconelli, about whom  have written a few times; third place, Only Boys Aloud, a Welsh vocal choir, about whom I have written once. The amazing thing about all these acts is that the oldest among them is nineteen, with the exception of the choir director and Pudsy, should you calculate his age in dog years.  These are all kids. 

Sometimes, when I see things like this, the future doesn't appear quite so dark.

I knew I picked the right church...

Today, at my new parish, during the homily, the priest actually used the phrase "the body, soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ."   Imagine, a priest who actually believes in the Body of Christ saying so on the Feast of Corpus Christi.  Who knew?

UPDATE:  I forgot to mention, he also mentioned the new translation.  Granted, he called it the "new missal", but since most priests I know have been ignoring it completely, this acknowledgement that it exists and is coming can only be a step in the right direction.

There was only one other priest I know who did mention it, and that was a couple of years ago, and he called it a "wonderful opportunity to reaquaint ourselves with and relearn the Mass." I wonder why such silence to such a large change coming.

Update on Frodo

because someone asked

He is 8 months now, and standing assisted. He uses his toys to help him stand, he uses mommy's arms to help him stand, he enjoys putting his hands on the floor, and plants his feet on the floorr, then lifts his knees and puts his bum up in the air and wiggles around- he doesn't what to do next. But he does put one foot in front of thr other if you hold him by his hands.

He is abt 18 lbs.Has 4 front teeth, eats grains, fruit, veggies, and meats, no milk, yet. Bear' sister is milk intolerant so MD told me to hold off until a solid nine months old.

Sleeps 3 naps daily, falls asleep about 11:00p.m. wakes between 7 and 9 am

All babies are good, but so far he is very easy going- thank God.

Will include photo soonest

You may want to check the temperature in Hades before reading the next line.

Go watch Oprah. No, really.

h/t Ignorant Redneck.

Take That, Peta!

I want to say, first off, I am not completely antithetical to Peta's goals, however, as I do with many of the professional protester groups out there, I distance myself from them because I don't want to be associated with them or their methods. I believe the way they carry themselves often turns more people away than it persuades.

A case in point: Peta recently hit the Canadian Minister for Fisheries in the face with a pie for allowing the annual seal hunt to continue. In St John's, where the people depend on the fisheries and the seal hunt, a fisherman took the appropriate revenge.



Suh-weet!

Some Progress

A while back in the summer I blogged about a friend of mine who I was trying to help return to the Church. Last weekend I took him on a tour of another church, Christ the King Cathedral in Hamilton- or, more of a tour of the west end of Hamilton with a trip to the Cathedral as well. It was a good day, and the three of us (his fiance was with us) enjoyed ourselves very much. Today I received an e-mail from him. It runs in part:

When I entered the cathedral I felt that I needed to pray and when I closed my eyes and started to pray and I didn't want to stop. For the first time I felt like I was really praying, something that it seemed to have disappeared from my life. (My fiance) told me she felt moved and felt a sense of peace by being in the cathedral...

As I said, it was a good day. If any of you are inclined, please say a prayer for my friend.

Missed Milestone

Checking the stats this morning I found that we have passed the 20,000 hit mark, which makes this a very low traffic site. Some of the heavy hitters get more hits in an hour. Still, a milestone is a milestone, and the hits are still a-comin'.

Sometimes I think It would be nice to have a little more traffic, but on the other hand high traffic brings with it a large number of whack jobs, and I'd just as soon not have that. I'm happy with the nice group of people who drop by and leave comments.

So thanks to you all for coming by. Keep coming by, Puff and I will still be putting up some posts for your edification.

Incidentally, hit number 20,000 was... me, checking in from work. So thanks, me, for putting us over the top.

I thought some might like this

Court'sy to Creative Minority Report

Spend Canada Day in Song

For Canada Day I am blogging some Canadian Patriotic Songs below:

Canada's National Hymns

National Anthem

[English]

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada!
Where pines and maples grow,
Great prairies spread
And lordly rivers flow,
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western Sea,
Thou land of hope, for all who toil!
Thou True North strong and free!
God keep our land Glorious and free!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee!

O Canada!
Beneath thy shining skies
May stalwart sons
And gentle maidens rise,
o keep thee steadfast through the years
From East to Western Sea,
Our own beloved native land!
Our True North strong and free!
God keep our land,
Glorious and free!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee!

Ruler Supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our Dominion in Thy loving care.
Help us to find, O God, in Thee
A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the Better Day
We ever stand on guard.
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee!

[French Version]

Ô Canada!
Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.


Sous l'oeil de Dieu, près du fleuve géant,
Le Canadien grandit en espérant.
Il est né d'une race fièrce,
Beni fut son berceau.
Le ciel a marqué sa carrière
Dans ce monde nouveau.
Toujours guidé par sa lumière,
Il gardera l'honneur de son drappeau,
Il gardera l'honneur de son drapeau.

De son patron, précurseur du vrai Dieu,
Il porte au front l'auréole de feu.
Ennemi de la tyrannie
Main plein de loyauté,
Il veut garder dans l'harmonie
Sa fière liberté;
Et par l'effort de son genie,
Sur notre sol asseoir la vérité,
Sur notre sol asseoir la vérité.

Amour sacré du trône et de l'autel,
Remplis nos coeurs de ton souffle immortel!
Parmi les races étrangères,
Notre guide est la loi:
Sachons être un peuple de frères,
Sous le joug de la foi.
Et répétons, comme nos pères,
La cri vainqueur: "Pour le Christ et le roi,"
La cri vainqueur: "Pour le Christ et le roi,"


Royal Anthem of Canada

God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen!

O Lord our God arise,
Scatter her enemies,
And make them fall:
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix:
God save us all.

Thy choicest gifts in store
On her be pleased to pour;
Long may she reign:
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice
God save the Queen.

Not in this land alone,
But be God's mercies known,
From shore to shore!
Lord make the nations see,
That men should brothers be,
And form one family,
The wide world over

From every latent foe,
From the assassins blow,
God save the Queen!
O'er her thine arm extend,
For Britain's sake defend,
Our mother, prince, and friend,
God save the Queen!

Maple Leaf Forever
[Original Lyrics -very unPOLITICALLY CORRECT, but very HISTORICALLY CORRECT]

In Days of yore, from Britain's shore,
Wolfe the dauntless hero came,
And planted firm Britannia's flag,
On Canada's fair domain.
Here may it wave, our boast, our pride,
And joined in love together,
The thistle, shamrock, rose entwine,
The Maple Leaf forever.

Chorus: The Maple Leaf, our emblem dear,
The Maple Leaf forever!
God save our Queen, and Heaven bless,
The Maple Leaf forever!

At Queenston Heights and Lundy's Lane,
Our brave fathers, side by side,
For freedom, homes, and loved ones dear,
Firmly stood and nobly died;
And those dear rights which they maintained,
We swear to yield them never!
Our watchword evermore shall be,
The Maple Leaf forever!

(Chorus)

Our fair Dominion now extends
From Cape Race to Nootka Sound;
May peace forever be our lot,
And plenteous store abound:
And may those ties of love be ours
Which discord cannot sever,
And flourish green o'er Freedom's home
The Maple Leaf forever!

(Chorus)

On merry England's far-famed land
May kind Heaven sweetly smile;
God bless Old Scotland evermore,
And Ireland's Emerald Isle!
Then swell the song, both loud and long,
Till rocks and forest quiver,
God save our Queen, and Heaven bless
The Maple Leaf forever!

(Chorus)

Now they've gone and Politcally Corrected this hymn to this

O, land of blue unending skies,
Mountains strong and sparkling snow,
A scent of freedom in the wind,
O'er the emerald fields below.
To thee we brought our hopes, our dreams,
For thee we stand together,
Our land of peace, where proudly flies,
The Maple Leaf forever.

Chorus:Long may it wave, and grace our own,
Blue skies and stormy weather,
Within my heart, above my home,
The Maple Leaf forever!

From East and West, our heroes came,
Throught icy fields and frozen bays,
Who conquered fear, and cold, and hate,
And their ancient wisdom says:
Protect the weak, defend your rights,
And build this land together,
Above which shine the Northern Lights,
And the Maple Leaf forever!

(Chorus)

I don't know, but something got lost in the "Correcting" of this hymn.

A humble winner

Paul Potts, who sang in the video linked to in a post below, ended up winning the entire Britain's Got Talent competition. He takes home a hundred thousand pounds, and almost certainly he has recording contracts lined up. I'll ask Puff to embed one of his other performances. Puff? oh Puff?




Thanks, dear.


So, anyway, I read an interview with the man after his victory. When asked what he plans to do now that his life has changed he said he plans to use his money to pay off some debts (he was sick and injured and took a few years to recover, during which time he could not work), he'd like to take his wife on a trip, and, now that he's financially more secure, he and his wife would like to have some children. I like the last part. All the time I read about someone who suddenly found success, or won a lottery, or some such thing, the person will say they will use their new wealth to buy a bigger house, or two, and a new car, or three, and a big flat screen tv, and travel, and live it up. Now, I don't want to make Paul Potts into a model of moral fiber and rectitude- I simply do not know enough about the man- but it is refreshing to see someone whose brighter future includes sharing it with children.

That Divine Spark

From Britain's Got Talent, this fellow, Paul Potts, shows up and announces he'd like to sing opera. The judges (including Simon Cowell) look stony faced and skeptical, and the man begins to sing the most famous tenor aria there is, Nessun Dorma.

Look at the faces of the judges as he sings his final notes, all skepticism vanished. Simon even smiles, and Amanda needs to dry her cheeks. If this fellow believes, as he says at the beginning, that he was born to sing opera, he will find no argument from me.

I wish I could do this. Unfortunately, 1. there is no Canada's Got Talent, (or is that Canada's Got No Talent?) 2. I'm a baritone. What would I sing? Papagheno's Puh-puh-puh?

Tip o'the hat to The Anchoress, via Dyspeptic Mutterings

praise for a job well done

Raphi Giangiulio has completed his homemade organ, and it sounds, well, like an organ!

Here's the link: http://www.rwgiangiulio.com/

You will find music samples played on the organ (listed as "sound samples") and it sounds quite good.

It can be done.

And his wife must surely be a strong candidate for Most. Patient. Wife. Ever.

Children, Gregory and Victoria

A mass of bouncy children appeared at my feet in the main hall of St Wulstan’s in Wolstanton, Staffordshire. They had run down from their choir practice in the organ loft, where they had been rehearsing the plainchant Orbis Factor Mass and a couple of Renaissance motets.

Were they enjoying it, I asked? “Yes!” they screamed. And what was their favourite piece to sing?“Agnus Dei and the Sanctus from the Orbis Factor,” said a couple of the nine-year-olds, quick as a flash.

“Victoria is my favourite,” chipped in Olivia Turner (nine and a half), and she was not referring to Mrs V Beckham. She had meant the 16th-century Spanish priest-composer Tomas Luis de Victoria, the great polyphonist. She would sing his Ave Maria in the bath, she said.

She was not the only one. Richard Keane (10 and a half) admitted enjoying the Orbis
Factor and claimed he intoned it while walking down. Tiny Joseph Daniels (seven)
had learned how to sing plainsong before he could read.

To hear children this young talk about early music in this way – music that few of my peers would have even heard of – was simply astonishing.

And yet I was not in London or Winchester; I wasn’t visiting one of the great cathedral schools with their vast resources and venerable traditions. I was in a small Midlands town, a modest place with a middling parish. All the kids were local, Catholic boys and girls, all attendees of the Catholic school next door, St Wulstan’s Primary.

What had transformed the musical life of this ordinary parish was the initiative and belief of the husband-and-wife musical team, David and April West.

The couple converted from the Anglican faith in 1993 and had no sooner entered their new Catholic community than they had begun to reorganise its musical foundations.

They were trained musicians and were sick of hearing people say there was no decent music in the Catholic Church. “It was crazy to think people actually believed this. I mean, think of all those great Catholic composers,” says David.

So, instead of grumbling, they decided to do something about it.

When the Wests first arrived in the parish, the choir sang three Sundays in a month and was composed of a loyal band of elderly folk who “sang in unison straight from
copies of the hymnbook”. On every second Sunday of the month a guitar-based “music group” would take over from the organ and choir.David West decided to
amalgamate the two. It was a delicate enterprise. The choir and music group would now both reside in the organ loft every Sunday. To integrate the two, they decided, at first, to use both the organ and guitars in the same Mass, and sometimes even in the same piece of music. This ensured both “factions” would be present every Sunday.

But this did not mean a reduction in the quality of the music. The Wests ensured this didn’t happen by imposing an unofficial ban on the more excruciating products of the post-Vatican II musical “reformers”. The fashionable happy-clappy songs from the 1970s – the “Carpenters stuff”, in David’s words – were consigned to the bin.

“We’ve never sung ‘Bind us Together’, nor have we done a single Israeli Mass, nor the [shudder] ‘Gloria, clap, clap,’ ” says David with pride. Contrary to popular belief, these pieces did not have a cachet with the young. “It’s an old style. What you get, in my view, is the mums and dads saying ‘this is what the young people want’, and they’re speaking as ageing ravers and Beatles fans.”

David and April realised that children didn’t necessarily like this or that music more or less than any other type – they didn’t know any, so how could they?

So when the Wests set up a junior choir to run alongside the senior one, they didn’t shy away from the hard stuff – they embarked upon teaching the children serious,
unadulterated Church music.

There was to be no talking down to the young’uns; instead,they were to be introduced to some of the finest music ever written. The kids loved it, and were eager to learn.

As a result, they quickly got the hang of the plainsong notation and the Latin, and now have several heavyweight pieces under their belts, for example: “If ye love me” by Thomas Tallis, Elgar’s Ave verum and Victoria’s Ave Maria.

The more experienced junior members moved up to join the main choir, where they might perform a Palestrina Gloria or a Byrd four-part setting. Remarkably, the main choir’s repertoire now numbers over 100 motets and Mass settings – a total any professional outfit would be hard pushed to match.When I arrived they were singing a piece of Lobo, then some Guerrero, and finally a run-through of the Sanctus of the Orbis Factor, all performed with understanding and astonishing precision.The project, however, has not been without its ups and downs. Not everyone in the parish had supported their cause, particularly when it came to the more ambitious programmes.

One such event was the visit to the church of former Archbishop Maurice Couve de Murville. To impress the prelate, David thought they might put on Bruckner’s great motet Ecce Sacerdos Magnus, a mighty piece for choir, organ and three supporting trombones. As the archbishop left, David explained the story behind the music: it had been written for the Archbishop of Linz in 1888.

Archbishop Maurice’s response? “They can’t have liked him very much.”

Most others were more positive. None more so than the parish priest, Fr Anthony Dykes.“I sometimes worry – what if they change the priest?” David told me anxiously. “It could change everything.”

He and Fr Dykes worked together not only in starting the junior choir but also the St Wulstan’s Musical Education Trust, whose aim is to install an abandoned 1922 organ found in a Welsh church. They now need £66,000 to do it. “I realise we’re up against more important charities like Cafod, but I think there are people out there who could and would support us as well,” says David.

The inverse snobbery of certain clergy has not helped. “They’ve told me it’s too expensive or that people don’t want it. This is just not true.”

The reality is that the Wests’ initiatives have been anything but unpopular. The choir members are keen and contented; pupils of the school are desperate to join; and people have even moved to the parish just in order to participate.

David hoped that their example would make those who doubt that traditional music has a place in the modern Mass think again. “It is Pope Benedict’s message – he wants us to preserve our musical heritage and we are just doing our bit.”

Before I left, I asked the kids who their favourite composer was, dead or alive.
“Victoria!” they shouted. “No, Britney. No, Victoria...”

Plainsong in the Bath from the Catholic Herald (UK)

Out of the Mouths of Babes. If this can happen in Protestant England, maybe there is hope for us across the pond.

Bonnet Tip to Gerald at Cafeteria Is Closed

N.S. student finds $10,000 beside bank machine, returns cash to owners

Monday, February 5, 2007
Canadian Press: by: MELANIE PATTEN

HALIFAX (CP) - For any student who has struggled to pay for tuition while dining on macaroni and cheese, finding an abandoned wad of $10,000 in cash would be too good to be true.

But when Jaime Hawkins of Riverview, N.B., stumbled upon a "loaf-of-bread-sized" stack of $20 bills next to a bank machine at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, the finance major immediately realized he couldn't keep the loot.

"I was just so overwhelmed with the amount of money," Hawkins, 29, said Tuesday, about four weeks after the incident. "It just felt like the right thing to do to hand it over. I had this little voice inside of me that said, 'It's not yours. Hand it in.' "

The stack, wrapped in elastic bands and barely visible beneath a shelving unit, was mistakenly left behind by two security guards who were refilling the machine in the student union building.

Although it was short-lived, Hawkins said he enjoyed his newfound fortune by pumping his money-filled fist into the air and yelling, "party time" as astonished
cafeteria-goers looked on, mouths agape.

He then handed the entire stack to a worker at the student union building, who was "taken aback" when presented with the loot.

Hawkins said he "feels good" about his decision even though he is now strapped for cash. About a week after finding the money, he discovered his New Brunswick student loan had been reassess, meaning he'll receive nearly $6,000 less than he initially thought.

An extra $10,000 would have come in handy, especially for a student with a debt load of close to $50,000.

"I've had a lot of people tell me that I was an idiot for handing it in," he said, laughing. "But at the same time, they say, 'You're a good guy for doing that.' "

Toronto-based Group 4 Securicor, the firm that misplaced the money, said Hawkins and the student union building worker would each receive $500 rewards.

"It's nice to know there's honest people in the world with integrity, whose mothers raised them right," said company spokeswoman Robin Steinberg, adding she believed the money had been there for "a very short time span."

As for Hawkins, he said the story would have unfolded much the same, even if no one else been around.

"I probably would have taken it home and rolled around in it for a bit," he said
jokingly. "And then called the cops."

The Canadian Press, 2007


It's nice to know that not all debt ridden young people feel the need to steal. Good for him. Though I do feel bad, that he isn't even finished school and he has a massive $50 000.00 CAD debt. Isn't there any way for people to get an education in this world without a massive debt. Our young people are starting their lives owing money they haven't even made yet. Though, if he kept the money and the NS equivalent of OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program)found out they would have clawed back his funds-even more - so fast his spinning head would have touched off a tornado.