Povey Prattle

This poster has gone viral on the internet today.  I find it to be utterly appalling. It makes me feel embarrassed to be an Episcopalian. It is of course historically inaccurate on two counts. First : We have not resisted fundamentalism since 1784.  Fundamentalism as a major factor in American Protestantism did not emerge until the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Second: The assertion that Jesus ”resisted the Pharisees” is a rather simplistic interpretation of scripture. What we see in the gospels is that Jesus had disagreements with some of the Pharisees.  In fact his only encounter with a named Pharisee – Nicodemus – shows a Jesus who is gracious and thoughtful.  Never did he resist the Pharisee Nicodemus. It is plain wrong to suggest that Jesus resisted the Pharisees -  what all of them! What I find to be most objectionable about the poster is that it seeks to  define the Episcopal Church on the basis of what we are against....

My friends Laurie and Patrick give me a Christmas gift each year.  It’s a monthly newspaper of humour called “Funny Times”.. Funny Times never ceases to amuse me. I always chuckle as I read it. One of my favourite columns is entitled “Ruminations” Here are a few entries in “Ruminations” from the February 2012 edition. 1.       We are most likely to ask for advice when we know the answer but want a different one. 2.       I only say “that makes sense” because I refuse to say, “you are right”. 3.       Change is good as long as I don’t have to do anything different. 4.      “Why did you lie to me?”  Clearly because I didn’t think I’d be caught. 5.      I am not the most creative person, but when it comes to rationalising doing something that’s bad for me, my imagination knows no limits.  See  http://www.funnytimes.com/

POEM  "One More Brevity"  by Robert Frost   (1874-1963) (N.B.  "Sirius" is know n as the dog star). I opened the door so my last look Should be taken outside a house and book. Before I gave up seeing and slept, I said I would see how Sirius kept His watchdog eye on what remained To be gone into, if not explained. But scarcely was my door ajar, When, past the leg I thrust for bar, Slipped in to be my problem guest, Not a heavenly dog made manifest, But an earthly dog of the carriage breed, Who, having failed of the modern speed, Now asked asylum, and I was stirred To be the one so dog-preferred. He dumped himself like a bag of bones. He sighed himself a couple of groans, And, head to tail, then firmly curled, Like swearing off on the traffic world. I set him water. I set him food. He rolled an eye with gratitude, Or merely manners, it may have been, But never so much as lifted chin. His hard tail loudly smacked the floor, As if beseeching...

Venice, Florida. (pop. 20,000), (median age 62), (96% white), (median income for households $37,500). (15 or so miles south of Sarasota FL where I live). Home of the Venice Theatre. That’s where I enjoyed the show  “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” this afternoon.  The revue featured the music and lyrics of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Maybe you’ve never heard of them. But surely you know songs from the 1950’s and 60’s, such as “Fools fall in love”, “On Broadway”, “Yakety Yak”, “Teach me how to shimmy”, “Hound Dog”, “I’m a woman”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “Fools fall in love”, “Spanish Harlem”, and “Stand by me”.   They are all Leiber/Stoller songs. These songs (and many others) were sung with skill, verve and energy by the nine singers, backed up by a six person ensemble.  It was a toe tapping event. Those who know me well will wonder why I (classical music and opera fan) was at such a show.   To be sure it was outside of my comfort zone. (1) Well, I was there...