Back Home

Just to let the faithful bloggers know, I have arrived home! I'm not tired at all, but I expect the jet lag to hit like a ton of bricks!

Goodbye England!

Today is my last full day in London, and then I head for home tomorrow morning. Thanks to all who kept up with my travels on this blog!

Oxford

Finally made it to Oxford on my last weekend in England, after a coach ride that included clipping the mirror of a parked car. But the driver let me on for student concession and saved me $6, so we will not speak a word against the driver! I really love Oxford, just wandering around and popping into museums here and there. The Bodelian Library Museum had a fascinating exhibit on Dante, Bocaccio, and Petrarch, with scads of 13th century illuminated books present too. I kept trying to imagine myself going to school at Oxford, because after U of C it was probably the PhD program in which I was most interested. Blackwell's book, music and art shops alone would make Oxford a destination!

Matins or Members Only?

To my fury Blogspot deleted a pearl-laden post I made about this Guardian article, an intriguing and counterintuitive question about whether the turn to the eucharist in the past century has not come with unforseen problems. The Guardian article asks whether the church wants commitment or numbers, positing that when the typical weekly worship for most Anglican churches was not a eucharist but rather "morning service" (the office of Matins, filled with hymns and psalms but no recitation of the creed and no need to declare oneself as a communicant), the churches were more full than they are now.

I tend to doubt the central implied premise, that people would cheerfully come to church each week if only they weren't required to BELIEVE anything, that people really just want to "do their duty" and avoid theological contestations. I know there are sometimes concerns that eucharists take longer than Matins (which by the by is NOT my experience), and I think the RCC churches filled to the brim on Saturday afternoons show that people seek times for worship more convenient than Sunday mornings, but the idea that participating in a eucharist may be too much commitment for many Christians strikes me as the most dangerous of slippery slopes. In fact, the next ledge down might be that denominating ourselves as "Christians" is too exclusive, in which case we've lost the basics just to add a few more warm bodies.

But this article did challenge me to reflect more; just as the Christian churches have turned to the eucharist, the more "conservative" form of weekly worship, so too have the great monotheistic religions all turned to more fundamentalist emphases, with rather destructive results for the world. What I notice most about this here in London as I hang about with young people is a common reaction of turning against religion overall, of adopting the "coexist" mentality that looks at all religions as doing more harm than good in the 2st century. I don't think Matins over Mass is going to do much to change that.

Tube Strike

This doesn't affect me much since I am so athletic that I walk to and fro work every day (pauses for compliments, general well-wishing), but it is a big issue for my collegaues who now need two hours to get to work one way. Yesterday people left at 4:00 to catch the last trains before the strike began at 6:00 p.m., and it is scheduled to linger until Thursday I hear.

Diana Day

Friday August 31st was the tenth anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and while I was embarrassed to see Americans quoted in the press as saying they arranged their vacations to be sure they were present for this, I have to admit I was a bit interested and even sat in the Clock House pub stealing glances at the memorial liturgy on telly. I went to Kensington Palace and took in all the flowers and messages at the gate. Let no one say England is not a free country--a few of of the messages were very uncomplimentary to the Royal Family! I took a snap of one that seems to express the middle ground most English seem to feel:

Long Live the Queen
Diana Forever
King Charles/Queen Camilla NEVER

Also walked to the famous memorial fountain in Kensington Gardens. It is not at all the type of monument I was expecting, no grand scale as the fountain of even a small Italian piazza would have, just a circular granite trough with two waterfalls. My very first thoughts were shockingly catty, even for me: "Expensive and disappointing, like Diana herself." But I have to admit I am still a fan of the Princess, specifically for being the first royal to include queers in her court in an official and respectful way and also for being the first celebrity to kiss babies with AIDS and demonstrate convincingly that one would not contract the virus doing so. Also I must say the memorial fountain lacks the pizzazz of a grander edifice but stays with one longer--as a work of art I like it far more than my original reaction.

Holland Park

This was a must-see for me simply because of the Absolutely Fabulous television show, where the lead character Edina Monsoon is constantly pointing out her residence in this posh neighborhood and is furious when anyone mistakes her address for the nearby but far less fashionable Sherpherd's Bush. It really is the Beverly Hills of London--huge mansions with enormous courtyards, Rolls Royces and Daimlers on every street, the most luxurious Tesco Express supermarket I could imagine, and a very upscale, brainy bookshop. The park itself is lovely and combines formal gardens with pure wilderness, as well as its famous population of peacocks.

Portobello Road

This weekend I wore my Reeboks to shreds and gave myself a blister to boot, trooping in Notting Hill to see the famous Portobello Market. I was sorely tempted by an antique map of Northern Ireland, only £20 ($40), but then I remembered that I am an impoverished PhD student and chose to shop in my price range (an Italian language copy of Stephen King's Cujo for only 50 pence--a buck!). People constantly asked me for directions or to take their photos, which made me feel both authentically English-appearing as well as kindly.

Tate Modern

The Tate Modern is a former power station on the southern bank of the Thames across from St. Paul's, crossed by the Millenium Bridge footpath. It holds the Tate Collection post-1900. It was interesting; I like certain forms of modern art very much, and in fact am obsessed with Kandinsky and respond very well to 1960s Pop artists like Lichtenstein as well as Dadaists from the teens and twenties. Only one Kandinksy unfortunately, and very few Dadaists. I was amused to see how little regarded my least favoroite forms of modern art seemed to be; the multiple fluorescent light installations and over-sized canvas pieces painted in a single color were quickly walked past. The Tate is also fortunate to have Piero Manzoni's Artist's Shit #4, in convenient canned form, and this also found few patrons! The Tate purchased this item in 2002 for about $45,000--the remaining pieces of Manzoni's original 90 cans are increasingly valuable as many of them are said to have exploded over the years!

Pork Faggots, Steak and Kidney Pie

Yes, this is what I have been eating this week. I have long loved steak and kidney pie (the Duke of Perth pub restaurant in Lakeview usually has them on the menu) but I had to try faggots for the name alone. It turns out they are related to haggis and other offal-based culinary creations--basically pork liver, pork, and traditionally pork cheek, rolled into what looks like Swedish meatballs (and sort of looks and tastes like a gamier Salisbry steak when it comes out of the oven). Very tasty!

Museum of London

The Museum of London is a cute little place right on the London town wall (one "exhibit" is simply a window, pointing out the spot where a Roman wall from the 1st century meets a 13th century tower!). It takes you through the prehistoric history of the Thames valley through Roman and medieval times up to the Great Fire. Very cool, very kid friendly--I was embarrassed when answering a computer pop quiz on patron saints, getting all the answers correct, and having it light up in full electronic jackpot mode as if I were at a casino! Maybe a little too kid-friendly there!

Tate Britain Gallery

Spent several hours here last weekend, very delightful, and the best organized gallery I have yet seen, entirely laid out in chronological order from the Middle Ages to 1900. My only complaint is that a few pieces are mounted behind such shiny reflective glass that there was simply no way to get a good view; unless what follows is salt water and tropical fish, there seems to be no need for the aquarium glass! I was especially struck by the Pre-Raphaelite William Holman Hunt's 1952 piece, "Scattered Sheep: Our English Coasts." Taken by many as a comment on Britain's tendency toward isolationism, it was also seen as a rebuke to the clergy of the Church of England for being consumed by internal quarrels during this same time. The sheep certainly do seem bewildered!

Imperial War Museum

I live right nextdoor to this imposing edifice, immediately to the right of this pic, so given my own military service and my near-obsession with Napoleon and Frederick the Great, it was just a matter of time before I found myself lost here for five solid hours. It was a very powerful experience, with two whole floors devoted to "Crimes Against Humanity" and the Holocaust. I tended to disagree with quite a bit of the museum curators' point of view (I in fact do not think "any of us" could become genocides; I would posit that genocidal societies invariably are societies that devalue and subjugate women; once you subjugate 51%+ of your own population, it's much easier to begin sorting down those to kill; societies where women are not only equal but actually leaders are not ripe to become genocidal anytime soon it seems to me; etc, etc.). Also the snuff film sequence in the middle of the documentary, where we watch one Rwandan after another be slowly butchered, with a final close-up of a 12 year-old boy dying from a severe head gash, seemed to me to have the opposite effect of "sensitizing" us, especially after the documentary rather incredibly segues on from this to sing the praises of Fair Trade Coffee. I love Fair Trade Coffee, I endorse it unreservedly, but after watching the 12 year-old bleed out in close-up I simply wasn't in a very coffee kind of place, and the process of filming these graphic scenes always seems to skirt the edges of morality to me. Not to sound too harsh on the Imperial War Museum; it was in fact a very stirring experience that will remain with me long.

Mother Teresa's Dark Night of the Soul

A great deal of media coverage seems primed to hit over publication of Mother Teresa's private letters detailing her spiritual dryness over half a century of ministry. I tend to chalk this up to the classical "Dark Night of the Soul" idea, that those in regular and intimate communication with God don't always feel great about it, and that the mystery of suffering hits even the holiest among us. Some surprise is mentioned that Teresa seemed to feel this for so long, with no apparent respite, but I say that the problem with invading someone's private letters is that we don't know what went unrecorded, the single day of ecstasy or consolation so great that she didn't want to tell anyone about it.

The "Atheist Chic" movement is quick to say Teresa "realized" religion was a joke and that's why she spent half a century in spiritual pain. I would answer this with an only slightly less subversive idea; perhaps Teresa realized a great deal of pain over the lack of social justice in the world, specifically how the Christian Church contributes to much of this. Given the state of Christianity today, the days of mystics in ecstasy might well be finished, and perhaps this is a good thing. Running a hospice for AIDS victims is surely noble, but it might well cause one to reflect more on the type of "Christian morality" that influenced people's sexual decisions. Being the most famous nun in the world might well cause some painful doubt about the position of women in the world and in the church.

I don't mean to suggest that Teresa was tormented by a nagging, closeted liberalism, but rather that what we often dismiss as ideology might actually have a deeper spiritual significance that is unavoidable in the end. If one accepts the Natural Law framework that supports a theology of mystics and saintliness, the nagging subconscious realization that how Nature had been formally defined didn't seem to match everyday human reality might well cause anyone spiritual pain. Even a saint.

"Kid Nation" Reality TV Show to Premiere Sept. 19th, Greased with a Bit of Scandal

Something to look forward to when I return? A new reality tv show about 40 kids electing their own government in Montana will premiere the week I return to the USA, and already a participant's parent is complaining that child welfare laws were not followed. I can't quite follow the kernel of the complaint (inadequate supervision? failure to register with the state film office? child labor laws?) and my cynical nature leads me to wonder if this isn't part of the advance PR for the show, since I certainly had not heard of it until this story. But I must admit, I am intrigued.

New Pub--"Ye Old Mitre"

Very appropriately named public house for an Anglican student! This place at 1 Ely Court down the street from my job was established in 1546 and is decorated with portraits of the "previous owners"--Henry VIII and Elizabeth I! (Queen Mary Tudor, who was VERY concerned about old miters, apparently did not find them appropriate for a pub!). I had a Hop Back Summer Lightning Ale, brewed year round and actually quite mild for a stocky Irishman accustomed to Guinness like myself. Although I did end up taking the Tube home instead of walking! Also got to spend some time "networking" (in the best Bridget Jones sense of the term) with an MBA professor just starting out. Horror of horrors, they don't really have "tenure" in England!

Letters! I get Letters!

Give yourself a quality point if you have that old song running through your head. I received a letter from my friend, to whom I will give the blog-alias la Marquise de Niegebourger. Yay me! Who's a big winner?! It took exactly ten days to arrive here, not nearly as bad as it could have been. No one mentions receiving post cards from me, which makes me think I wasted $25+ on this since I am pretty sure they must have made it to the USA but not met American postal regulations and so remain undeleivered. Not so much a big winner there. But I also checked my blog traffic, and despite the dearth of comments here the blog is in fact being read; some people are actually tracking it on "Catholic Blog Tracker," which is ironic since technically this blog is arguably really part of the "Anglican blogosphere," except that in general I find almost all religious blogs so catty that I do not link to them or even read them much, Amy Welborn as always an exception. But thank you for writing, Madame de Niegebourger, and I hope you all get postcards from me eventually!

Obese Man Undergoes Bariatric Surgery for Kinship Adoption

A shocking story from last week just reached me. A 500 pound Missouri man, a licensed foster parent and adoptive father, has been found unfit to adopt his infant cousin, who has been shuttled into the state foster care system and away from the family chosen by his birth mother. We expect these kind of rulings from Beijing, where new adoption restrictions took effect recently and penalize obese adopters. Certainly no one is saying obesity "doesn't matter," but this is a sad and shocking story, and every day that baby spends in foster care makes it sadder.

St. Barnabas in Pimlico

Completely by accident I discovered St. Barnabas in Pimlico, the first church of the Oxford Movement, a place I was quite unable to find on a map when I set out to go there on purpose in July. My feelings were rather mixed; it was "pretty" but with such muddied theology that the sparse simplicity of St. Martin-in-the-Fields is so much more attractive to me, even though I prefer a pure Gothic (Westminster Abbey) or Baroque (St. Paul's) to such sparseness. An Anglican church which looks like a pre-Vatican II Roman Catholic church simply looks odd, and I would tend to question any theology that emphasizes so much the need to separate the laity from the clergy (even if through a fabulous gold reredos!). Interesting to find Stations of the Cross on the walls, theologically unobjectionable to be sure and rather pretty. But alas, there were also the usual warning signs about reservation of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the kind more commonly seen in Italy or Spain, as if actually EATING Holy Communion would constitute a blasphemy. I find myself rather undecided about eucharistic reservation; as an RCC seminarian things like monstrances were completely scandalous to me, and reserving the eucharist 24/7 "for the sick" seems frequently to result in the kinds of eucharistic practices that seem superstitious at best. Yes, I believe in the Real Presence, but the eucharist is Really Present to be Really Eaten, not stared at in a jewelry box or worse yet waved around in a miniature fish bowl. But I have often felt very recollected in front of a tabernacle myself, so I can see how it helps some people pray, and perhaps that is the most important thing.

National Army Museum

This weekend went to the National Army Museum, very interesting. I was attracted to the Napoleonic exhibits but also got very caught up in the World Wars exhibits. Then I pseudo-shopped at Harrods again (didn't buy anything, but did spritz myself with $80 cologne--Acqua di Parma, a little too sweet for me).

Posts Not Publishing?!

I'm feeling very cranky, a post I made yesterday, which Blogspot's dashboard still shows as posted, is not appearing. This fachachta blog doesn't even work as a diary that only I read if the posts don't actually post.

New Pub

Clock House, very cool, Old World atmosphere with a strangely mirrored ceiling. The important thing is, I feel like one of the cool kids.

Oxford Warns Evangelical Hall on Misogyny, Homophobia, Academic Standards

I still haven't made it to Oxford yet, but this article certainly gives me even more motivation to do so. Wycliffe Hall, the seminary at Oxford for Anglican ministers of an evangelical persuasion, has been warned to monitor for misogyny, homophobia, and low educational standards. Interesting side note that the average age of an Anglican ordinand out of Oxford is 41; I feel young again!

Freud's home

Freud's home in north London is quite impressive, a very small and very intimate museum off Finchley Road (in the infamous Margaret Thatcher's former constituency I believe). No photos were permitted, but while I obey this in St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey, my infantile need for wish fulfillment proved too strong in Freud's own house, and I snapped several illicit pics of the famous couch and Freud's large consulting room. What struck me the most is that his desk, chairs, and the couch itself filled little more than one fourth of the room, while an enormous, dining-sized table covered in various stone idols and totems dominated the rest. The desk itself faced to the side, not at all business-like, and the "office" component seemed almost an afterthought. In this day of "solution-focused" short-term therapy that tends to take place in sterile, antiseptic, hospital-like offices, it was nice to see a room filled with objects and symbols by which the client could be inspired. A little disappointing that the museum seems to emphasize Freud's more bizarre cases and dream interpretation rather than the broad idea that the unconscious/subconscious mind inevitably affects our conscious lives and relationships. If you ask me, this little message is far more important than the Wolf Man et al.

London Zoo

Very pleased with the London Zoo (except for its misleading Tube posters, which sent me to the wrong and more expensive stop!). The Reptile House was all that I could hope for, king cobra, taipan, black mamba, numerous green mambas, numerous spitting cobras, etc. An American western diamondback rattler that did not come out, as well as a sidewinder (whose cage inexplicably contained an empty Budweiser bottle and an old pack of Marlborough cigarettes, as if Americans were such addicts we smoke and drank in the hottest desert!).

New Amy Welborn Blog

Amy Welborn, the Queen of Catholic Blogging and my own inspiration in blogging about a mixture of Important Issues and everyday life in an always interesting way, is in the process of transferring to a new blog. I still check Amy's blog almost every day, and while I sometimes am irritated by her treatment of LGBTQ issues (Amy's dismissive "whatever" comment about the gay couple who write the HBO show Big Love was especially annoying recently), I still love her to pieces. The new title is Charlotte Was Both, an allusion to Charlotte's Web I will leave you to find on your own. Alas, Amy mentions that she chose this title and wanted "no allusive Latin" in the blog title, which made me blush and despair that anyone reads this blog!

Bonus points to any of you familiar with Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope, from whence the title of my blog comes. A must-read for any Anglicans, especially those of us who enjoy taking ourselves too seriously!

Manchester

Went to a meeting in Manchester in the north of England yesterday, it was a great treat and gave me a taste for train travel a bit, so I might pop off on further journeys. The August Bank Holiday is coming up, a 4 day weekend that will give me lots of travel opportunities.

British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Harrods

Busy weekend, in sunny temperatures that bordered on hot. Went to all of the above and snapped piles of photos, but alas, have not developed any and may not until I return home. You can judge my photpgraphy skills later!

"Becoming Jane" Film Out Today

The reviews are so-so, but you should go see this dramatisation of Jane Austen's life and then report here how you like it. It came out in the UK in March but apparently is just this weekend out in America.

Church House Book Shop

After considerable effort to meet this place's limited operating hours (basically Monday-Friday 9-5, with a precious extra hour on Thursdays), I finally succeeded in gaining entrance. Not quite what I expected--like any religious goods shop I suppose they must cater to plenty of lowest common denominators with lots of jokey books and plastic jimjaws. Perhaps I had puffed up the official book shop of the Church of England a little too much. My biggest surprise was that there were almost as many Roman Catholic items for sale as Anglican, which cheered me to think the my long education was still of much use in the Anglican theological world! I did buy two very interesting books unavailable stateside--The Life and Work of a Priest by the Bishop of Oxford, and Anglican Spiritual Direction by a canon of St. Paul's. Book reviews sure to follow.

"The Courage to Steady Our Gaze"

From a collect at St. Paul's this morning, "that with the Virgin Mary we may have the courage to steady our gaze at the poverty of the world." I am consistently finding sources for entire sermons in a single line of a single collect at St. Paul's. Reminds me of something we often discuss at school as part of the mission of social work, that part of the job of the social worker is to "sit with the pain" we find (thank you, Professor Robyn Golden!). Our self-protective instincts have to be overcome for ministry and service really to take place.

Westminster Abbey

Before and after Buckingham Palace on Saturday, I attended three services at Westminster Abbey (Saturday morning eucharist, Sunday morning sung eucharist, and Sunday evensong--held at the scandalous hour of 3:00 p.m.!). I had read in a bookshop that the reform of Edward VI was very hard on the Abbey, and hundreds of vestments were thrown out, with the result that even today the Abbey has fewer vestments than one would expect, coming late to the party that is the High Church revival in the C of E. I saw this was true, everything matched but there were some disagreeable alb & stole combos--wearing just an alb and a stole stikes me as being half dressed, like wearing a necktie over a tee shirt. No sermon on Saturday, but a lovely job on Sunday morning by the Rev'd Deiniol Morgan, Minor Canon, who spoke about how we consistently approach God as if He were consistently in a Bad Mood. Less stellar job Sunday afternoon, too much use of the official parable of the day, the hardships faced by an Iraqi doctor in Baghdad (perhaps I am jaded because this is the official example for many lectures at school). Fascinating array of academic hoods present for evensong--I almost thought I was at Commencement! St. Paul's continues to be be my weekday worship site, but I expect that Westminster will serve on weekends as it is but a 10 minute walk, 20 if I am pokey.

Birthday Thanks

Thanks to you for your birthday wishes! I spent the day at Buckingham Palace, the first day it was open to the public as the Queen is at Balmoral for the rest of the summer. I am too much of a statistician not to be somewhat wan that 36 is "officially" the LATE 30s, and I have already been kicked out of the 18-34 demographic last year. But I cheered myself with the realization that THIS is the ageI should be when I am ordained deacon! Assuming we have our summer synod as early as we intended this year. The palace was lovely, 19 state rooms, like the White House only larger. My orignal destination was the Victoria and Albert Museum, a place which I did not see when last in London and one which has the seductive benefit of being free. Watch for the V&A in next weekend's postings.

Going 'Round the Pub

Had my first pub experience last night, a great time at this very posh bar, not the "90 pence pub" I was expecting. No pints at all actually, just bottled German and UK lagers and of course the mixed drinks of the moment. Great time talking to colleagues.

My London Address

Some of you have asked about my London address, and as far as I can tell this is it in its fullness:

International House, Room 301
1-5 Lambeth Road
London SE1 7DQ
England

St. Paul's Cathedral

As I've stated in a few postcards already, I pass by St. Paul's on my way to work each morning. They have an 08:00 eucharist each day, so I have added that to my daily regimen under the "Anglican pilgrimage" component. It was a lovely service, female priest in eucharistic vestments, helpful other clergy, tolerant Brits perfectly willing to model when to stand and sit. Several American college students present as judging from Pepperdine and Arizona State shirts in evidence. It is nice to have regular and even daily access to the eucharist again. One is a bit sad to be outside the Communion here--they have a well-ordered prayer system that seems to include not just the saint of the day (the same everywhere, Anne and Joachim, which the priest introduced well if a bit precipitously in the opening collect) but even a diocese du jour--today was the Sudan. The service itself took place in the north transept, and it will be interesting to see how well attended subsequent eucharists are.

"Benefit Thieves"

Something unexpected, the bus bench ad outside International House London and several others in the city are devoted to catching "benefit thieves"--"Can you tell which van is our surveillance van?" "Can you see our surveillance agent?" I assume benefit thieves are persons signed up for relief or unemployment whilst actually working (Do you like the "whilst"? I am learning already!). But at SSA and in American social policy circles we sometimes think that we are the only country to engage in this kind of surveillance or policing of benefit recipients, and the cheerful Orwellian nature of these ads was rather shockling to me.

First Impressions

These posts seem hurried and incoherent, but I will try to be succinct. London is lovely, and I feel somewhat familiar with where I am going. My walk to work takes about 45 minutes (50 today!), so I am getting at least 90 minutes of good exercise a day simply walking to and fro work, not to mention any interesting diversions. The prices are as terrifying as I feared they would be--the numbers are exactly the same as on American price tags, but I have to remember these are pounds and not dollars! The exchange rate is £1 to $2.25; I am very bitter about that 25 cents, because it means £4 is not $8 but rather $9, £8 is not $16 but rather $18, etc. I am being quite frugal, and so far am cheered to note that bananas cost about the same in both London in Chicago, so I am getting my potassium!

Je suis arrive'

In London, not Paris, but you will be impreseed to know that I was reading French on the plane. I am here, the trip was easy, the accomodations are rustic. More to come!

Departure Day!

When next I blog I will be in London! Wish me luck, I am not encouraged by distressing stories about how heavy rains in London are cancelling flights and closing Tube stations.

Harry Potter Parables

Some interesting buzz this weekend on how the Church of England is introducing a new booklet, Mixing it Up with Harry Potter by Owen Smith, as a youth ministry tool for children aged 9-13. The booklet is a twelve session discussion guide. It reminds me of the best traditions in Anglicanism, going back to Augustine of Canterbury, to use the familiar and the comfortable as a tool in evangelization. It also serves as a nice counterpoint to the Roman Catholic and Evangelical officials condemning the Harry Potter books as a paean to witchery. I am mildly cranky that
a 48 page booklet so far seems to cost more than the hardcover edition of the white hot Deathly Hallows book itself, but given the force of the Harry Potter phenomenon I cannot help but think that this will be money well spent for anyone in youth ministry.

Tonight Begins Pottermania

Tonight people will be on line in bookstores at midnight to purchase the first legal copies of the final Harry Potter book. I have generally been neutral on Harry Potter; anything that gets kids to read chunky 700 page books has some good to it. But those of you who have listened to me discourse on "what's good for kids" know that I have issues when kids are portrayed as unnaturally independent and in perpetual conflict with adults. I am less concerned about the "witchcraft" problems that fundamentalist Christians have oft mentioned; I tend to tally much of that brouhaha up to sheer sexism. Male "wizards" are seen as benign or at least neutral while female "witches" are seen as evil; even Glinda is suspect. But the day is here at last, the Potter saga is at an end, and soon enough we will have new controversies to debate.

Girls With Supportive Friends Still At Risk For Depression, Anxiety

Much discussion in the popular media recently about an interesting study on the effects of "co-ruminating" (excessive and repetitive discussion of problems with friends, constant venting) on both boys and girls aged 8-15. Both boys and girls seemed to form stronger friendships after this, but girls exhibited moderately increased depression and anxiety as well. Both boys and girls are likely to ruminate with friends when feeling depressed or anxious, but girls are more likely to fall into a circular pattern where ongoing rumination increases depressive and anxious feelings. The media are generally doing a decent job of presenting this, although there are several annoying headlines along the lines of "Girl Talk Bad." What stands out to me is that relatively young children can experience this kind of ongoing depression/anxiety cycle and they experience it even in the midst of a supportive friend network. As we adults do our yoga and guided meditation in efforts to "let go" of our stress, I wonder if this isn't something from which even younger children can also benefit.

What Kids Think of Adults' Jobs: Drinking Coffee, Using the Computer, Yacking on the Phone

Cute article in the WSJ about how the transition to an information economy has made it harder to explain to kids what Mommy and Daddy do at work. I immediately thought of the Tom Wolfe novel The Bonfire of the Vanities, where Judy McCoy provides a catty but not inaccurate description of her husband's job as a bond trader: "Just imagine that a bond is a slice of cake, and you didn’t bake the cake, but every time you hand somebody a slice of the cake a tiny little bit comes off, like a little crumb, and you can keep that."

But I have to say I am not sure I agree with the sentiment of the article. Even young kids know tons about computers, and they can certainly understand the myriad ways Mom and Dad do work on a computer. Not only can your son or daughter understand what work you do on a computer, chances are they could offer decent suggestions for improvement if you described it to them!

"The hospital can be a busy, lonely place..."

Great article in the New York Times on the Rev'd Margaret A. Muncie, an Episcopal priest working as a hospital chaplain. Hospital chaplaincy is one of the most popular and most rigorous forms of religious ministry, and it is great to see such good work recognized. As fewer people attend weekly worship services, I am convinced that hospital chaplains will increasingly provide the lion's share of pastoral care for many people in need.

Child Welfare Worker Burnt Alive By Boyfriend

In the short life of this blog there have been more macabre stories like this than I prefer to note.

Supply-Side Church Market?

Another interesting piece from the Wall Street Journal, commenting on the renaissance of at least some Christian groups in Europe. A bit weak on examples I would say, but it posits a worthy question on whether religiosity in an "open" religious market like the USA is helped by the wide array of options avaliable, suggesting this is occuring in Europe as well where state churches lose their monopoly and are out-competed by "lean and mean" new churches that receive no help from the state.

The Blog Turns 10!

Charming Wall Street Journal celebration of the world's past decade of the blog. This is my first real attempt at blogging, so I am arguably ten years late to the party, although I dabbled in a Yahoo 360 page that contained a pseudo-blog a year or so ago. I must say that I have found the past few blogging days more challenging than I had imagined. I certainly include links to other interesting online articles, per the WSJ the original intent of the nascent blog, but I also find myself buried under the avalanche of my own self-expression, blogging about too many things at once and about none of them very coherently (in writing as in speech, perhaps?). Other than a nifty Latin phrase, this blog might seem to have little structure or theme, but I will try to hew more closely to "the nexus of religion and social policy" (I must say, I do like how that reads!).

Shout Out to Brian's Charhouse in West Chicago

My church officers were kind enough to take me out to dinner last night, and I have to thank them and the delicious Brian's Charhouse as well. Great sirloin, au gratin potatoes, and chocolate lava cake for dessert! Not to be missed if one finds oneself in the far west 'burbs!

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Seen As Strenuous But Not Unhealthy

Something that caught my eye in the hard copy of the U of C Magazine is news of an encouraging study by our own Professor Linda Waite, suggesting that grandparents raising grandchildren face a strenuous but not intrinsically unhealthy task. Grandparents raising grandchildren are the most common form of kinship foster care, and it is encouraging to see the data so carefully parsed. Waite found that grandparents who were in ill health while raising their grandchildren were often already experiencing health deficits prior to becoming kinship carers, and that there were a fairly wide variety of potentially contravening variables that should be controlled for in researching the grandparents raising grandchildren phenomenon. This is not to dismiss the real problems that many such grandparents face, but it is an encouraging finding that may help prevent hasty assumptions about older parents.

Should Organ Donors Be Paid?

A great University of Chicago Magazine article asks this very question. I tend to be pretty attached to the con side, based especially on the "commodification of the body" principle (in the abstract) and the prediction that poor donors would not pursue or receive adequate medical care after donating/selling (in the concrete). The pro argument seems to me to be based on a radical utilitarianism that says that some life is always better than no life, so 6500 exploited poor people with missing organs are better than having 6500 people die per year due to inadequate organ donation. Instead I posit that for a Christian, the integrity of the body is a value equal to life, and so it is better to die than to farm human beings for their organs. What do you think?

PM to Nix Bish Picks

Is that a catchy title or what? UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a member of the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland and in fact the son of a C of S minister, announced some time ago that he would largely surrender the power to appoint bishops of the Church of England. Reaction seems to be somewhat mixed, with many praising the theological propriety of the move while some worrying that this is a precursor to Disestablishment or simply that Anglicanism will have less of a public role in government.

In the reform of the House of Lords, the 26 bishops currently members so far have retained their seats (the Archbishops of Canterbury and York as well as the Bishops of London, Durham, and Winchester are always Lords, while the remaining 21 bishops are admitted by seniority of consecration). While the Erastianism of government appointment of clergy is certainly to be decried and historically has led to unfortunate theological anomalies (see John Henry Newman on the Jersualem Bishopric), it also served to preserve some measure of lay involvement in clergy appointments that I always thought had some theological value in itself. It will be interesting to see what comes of this, and years from now what would happen if an Anglican PM wished to take back these Erastian powers.

Russia Re-opens International Adoptions

Good news in today's Chicago Tribune: Russia has re-opened international adoptions. Evanston's outstanding adoption agency The Cradle is among the USA agencies re-certified by the Russian Federation. An astonishing 700,000 kids are in Russian orphanages.

Two Buck Chuck Wins Wine Award!

Wow. Charles Shaw Chardonnay 2005, known to Trader Joe's shoppers as "Two Buck Chuck," has won a prestigious wine award. I am not a huge fan of Two Buck Chuck myself, but I tend to drink reds far more than whites, and Chuck's reds tend to be a little ragged on my palette. But clearly the Grad Student Code requires that I immediately buy a case of this!

Childhood Obesity Still Rising

Amid a few encouraging trends (teenage pregnancies still declining), this report on the annual summary of child and family statistics notes that childhood obesity rates are still rising.

Anti-Gay Surgeon General Nominee Backtracking?

Another story to which I do not know how to react; should I be glad that overt anti-gay bias is a problem even for right wing politicians? Or should I be worried that the most extreme right wingers can be confirmed to high office with a little tap dancing?

Welcome to the YAWNs

Also in the Wall Street Journal, that bastion of fascinating reading, comes this inspiring bit on the new YAWNs--"Young And Wealthy Normals," self-made rich people under 50 who want to live fulfilling and healthy lives that are not given over to excess or vulgar display. A big connection seems to be parents who want to make sure their kids do not grow up to be Paris Hilton or Brandon Davis. Bonus: they are more interested in philanthropy than in partying.

Backlash Against Antidepressant Medication

Today's Wall Street Journal carries an interesting article on how a backlash against antidepressant medication is leading consumers to consider alternative therapies from accupuncture to yoga (not quite A-Z, but hey, I tried to sparkle).

These stories tend to unnerve me, because in my limited but non-trivial clinical experience, my impression was definitely that more people could benefit from antidepressants and that even when they were prescribed, people tended to take them only off and on and to stop taking them far too soon.

Accupunture is swell. Yoga? The cat's pajamas. Meditation? Absoloutely the best. But I can't help but think that all of these things in conjunction with a proper antidepressant would help lots of depressed people.

Mark Cuban Wants to Buy the Cubs

Not sure what I think about this; I definitely like the idea of a Cubs owner who spends money on the team, but I don't want to see Cuban become a distraction, and he easily could become one. Gotta love his comment that responding to random blogs are a waste of time! Fortiter In Re is here to serve!

So Basically, EVERYTHING Causes Heart Attacks?!

An annoying new study, especially for those of us with heart disease in the family.

The good news is that regular exercise seems to reduce the risk that exertion will trigger heart attacks.

New MCC in Chicago

This Sunday a new Metropolitan Community Church in development, AChurch4Me, ministering to the queer community of Chicago, is meeting at 11:00 A.M. at the Center on Halsted in the Lakeview neighborhood. The Center on Halsted is an amazing organization, and it is great to see them partnering with and serving LGBT progressive Christians. I am sorry I will miss the early meetings of this group while I am abroad, but I will look forward to seeing how they make out when I return to Chicago.

Live-In Intensive Care for Families?

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece on how Emory University Hospital is revamping its ICU in recognition of the fact that families need to be close to loved ones undergoing medical crisis. Such a human face on modern health care is nice to see!

Overweight Kids' Have Cancerous Quality of Life

A new study suggests that overweight kids face so much stigma as early as age 3 that their quality of life is similar to children suffering from cancer. One more reason to focus on childhood obesity, although since this phenomenon is becoming so pervasive, I am somewhat surprised that the stigma of childhood obesity is so high.

Third Arrest in Florida Gang Rape

One of the most disgusting stories I can ever recall, but the good news is that a third arrest has been made. Scary to think that so far the perpetrators here are ages 14, 15, and 16.

Who's a Big Winner?

Yes, that sets the serious tone I was hoping for with this blog. But my new sandals arrived today and they are very nice. I broke down and ordered real Birkenstocks, despite being a notoriously cheap, cheap man, because my other generic sandals imploded into pieces. The Birkenstock Malibu Sport version is comfortable--they are a little big, because I was scarred for life by a single pair of too tight sandals and now tend to order them in snowshoe size, but that won't be a problem. Only $32 bucks for REAL Birkenstocks, no taxes, no shipping fees! Who's a big winner? Steve is!