Priceless!

I saw this on a friend's facebook today (thanks DT)

Take a look at the map behind the newsreader!

Another take on saving the planet . . .

I saw this on Matthew Warner's blog Fallible Blogma today. He makes a good point, don't you think?

I was born . . .

I saw this first on Matthew Warner 's blog 'Fallible Blogma' but I've since seen it appearing elsewhere around the blogosphere.

Still, it's too good not to share.

Isn't it great to see so many young people who care about this issue?

Coincidence . . .

I've spent a little time recently exploring a few blogs that I haven't come across before.

They've probably been out there for a long time but I'm beginning to notice how many young Catholics there are 'out there' blogging about their faith - and how well they do it too - it puts me to shame to see how articulate they are when writing about their experiences. I struggle to put my thoughts into words and I'm sure I would certainly have not have been anyway near as 'clued up' as these young people are when I was 'just a girl'.

By a strange coincidence, I've come across two blogs written by young women in America and both have written about their preference for wearing a mantilla. See here and here.

Is this something that is to be found more in the US, I wonder? Is it only in 'traditional' parishes or when attending Mass in the Extraordinary Form? I don't think I've ever come across anyone under the age of about 45-50 in our parish wearing a mantilla. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with this. I think it's great that young people feel so strongly about their faith that they have decided to adopt this outward sign of their humility before God.

I personally don't feel the need to cover my head but I can understand and respect the feelings of those who do. Maybe, it's because, as a convert, I wasn't brought up with the practice. Talking to friends of my age who were at Catholic schools, they seem to look back fondly at wearing a mantilla at Mass when they were schoolgirls.

I just can't see it happening in our parish. These young women must be very strong characters to be prepared to stand out amongst their peers as I can't imagine it is the norm, even in the US.

What do you think?

Oh, no - latest 'Word of the Year'! . . .

According to the new Oxford American Dictionary the latest newly-coined word which has been named 'Word of the Year' for 2009 is unfriend. Its meaning, according to the dictionary, is to remove someone as a friend from a social networking site such as Facebook.

Here are some of the other finalists for 'Word of the Year';

"intexicated" the state of being distracted while driving because of sending a text message.

"zombie bank" a financial institution still operating even though its liabilities are greater than its assets.

"birther" which Oxford describes as "a conspiracy theorist who challenges President Obama's U.S. birth certificate."

Oxford's word last year was "hypermiling" the act of conserving petrol by making fuel-saving changes to one's car and driving habits.

If you'd like to be appalled further, or simply amused, you can read the full article here.

One of my pet peeves about new words that have evolved recently is the way that we seem to have had a sudden influx of new verbs which were previously nouns. For example, sporting heroes don't win a medal, they 'medal' in their chosen sport; you don't travel by train, you 'train' it. I think I'll invent a new word to describe it, 'verbify'! I really don't like the way some people verbify words which have always been used as nouns to create new verbs. Mind you, verbify is probably not a new word, after all. I expect it's been in the dictionary for ages :-)

Back to school . . .

I received this video from Fr Leo a while ago but think now's quite a good time to post it. The shops are full of 'back to school' offers and as any one will know who's tried it, now is not the time to go and buy shoes if you're in a hurry - the whole world it seems is busy getting their children's feet measured for new shoes for the new school year.

If you have older children, I'm sure you've had the usual argument with the boys about tucking their school shirt in - it's just not cool so you're fighting a losing battle but this video puts a whole new complexion on it. Frightening!

44 US Presidents - Washington to Obama

Have you seen this video which is now being circulated on the Internet (again)?

I do think these 'morphing' videos are great fun.

Another busy week ..

I don't know where this week has gone to! Everywhere seems to be busy; home, work, life, the world, the universe ....!!

I seem to have extended my birthday/our anniversary celebrations well into this week and I can tell that my waistline has also been extended somewhat but that's another story!

I suppose the news of the week must be the US election. In year's to come this will the subject of one of those quizes, where were you when ...? Where were you when the citizens of the USA elected their first black (well mixed-race at least) president?

Like most households in Britain (I would imagine) we were all gripped by the news coverage of the presidential election and were all late getting to sleep as we listened/watched the results coming in late into the night and well into the early hours of the morning. Adrian was on a business trip to Bulgaria and he watched the TV coverage there.

Things have calmed down a bit now and we are all waiting and watching. Praying too that nothing awful will happen before the inauguration of president-elect Barack Obama in January 2009.