I slight case of blogmentia this morning.  I was chatting with my friend Pinnie and I told her something amusing - she let me continue and then said, "yeah, I already read that on your blog".  She did go on to say she enjoyed the blog and that it was just like listening to me talking over coffee.  She also expressed disappointment at not featuring on the blog.  So Pinnie, here you are.  Perhaps I might tell the world some amusing old stories about you, like the time you thought your father had turned into a dog.

Michael came home from school the other day and revealed they had been learning about inches, feet and yards.  I have to confess I was inordinately delighted.  I remember at primary school being told as we learned the metric system that the imperial system was dead and buried and that was 35 years ago.  Michael has a wonderful teacher - he has a tremendous trait which is he allows himself to be distracted;  there are no ILOs written on his blackboard before each class.  He's the sort of teacher who, instead of saying "boys, don't climb on the fence" tells them the tale of the boy who was impaled on a fence with a post through his neck - that's the sort of teacher boys of nine need.

ILO = Individual Learning Outcomes.

And speaking of excellent teachers, I see the Archbishop of Cardiff thinks he has something to teach the Pope:

"I think Pope Benedict has a great deal to say to the modern world and the modern church," he said. "It is how we say these things, making sure that what we want to communicate is said pithily and in a way that people will understand what we are saying, otherwise the actual message doesn't get through.

We tend to be using rather theological language and this applies also to the pope, because he is at heart an academic. He has been in the academic life for donkey's years and I think sometimes he may assume a little too much on the part of his hearers."

Personally I think the Archbishop of Cardiff is a creepy, backstabbing, disloyal backstabber.  Under the guise of supporting the Holy Father he's attacking his judgment, his ability, his staff.  It's the classic approach taken by the cowardly disloyal - avoid the frontal attack - don't attack the King, attack his wife or his Prime Minister; don't attack Christ, attack St Paul.

If we look at the specific issue of the condom comments there are a number of things his staff could have done to prevent the outrage - the last time I saw so many French hands thrown up they were surrendering to the Germans.  Where was I?
 
The most obvious thing the staff could have done - let's call it the Obama approach - was to prevent the press asking any questions, or to force them to submit them in writing and then vet them for the Pope.  But this Pope likes to engage with people, to think, to discuss, to talk, to teach.

An alternative approach - let's call it the other Obama approach - would be for the Pope to avoid answering the question.  "I think Aids is a dreadful thing, terrible, the suffering, the children, the orphans, and of course the Catholic Church is in the vanguard in looking after the sick, the suffering, the orphans - next question". 

That is what Archbishop Smith would have done and what he wanted the Pope to do.  But not this Pope.  And I guarantee there are now people for the first time aware that the Pope is perfectly correct and that at the population level, condoms tend to make the situation worse.  Just as everyone is now aware of Bishop Williamson's holocaust denial, and the role of violence in the expansion of Islam.

Jesus said: "I am the Way, the Life and the current scientific consensus".

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Just finished Raymond Feist's latest book, Wrath of a Mad God.  If you don't like Fantasy/Science Fiction look away now.  Feist wrote a brilliant first book - Magician, a weak second and an excellent third and since then it's been up and down.  He has an annoying habit of pulling rabbits from hats or dei ex machinas.  Every dreadful happening has something even worse behind it.  Well this book ties up all the lose ends - I think - and kills off some of the favourite characters.  Unfortunately he lets other characters wonder round rather aimlessly.  Another five books to go apparently.