Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Colbert '08

Already outpolling Joe Biden! 2.3% of Democrats (reported by Inside Edition). In other news, my IQ dropped 15 points watching the show.

Middlemarch

Just finished rereading Middlemarch today on a flight from Calgary to Ft MacMurray.
It's a tender, moving book, and my appreciation for George Eliot grows every time I read (or reread) her works. At this time, they include "Mill on the Floss", "Felix Holt, the Radical", and "Middlemarch". My next will likely be Silas Marner, since I was a good 40 pages into a copy when I left it in the seatback pocket of a NWA flight from Minneapolis.

I think I also have a short book called "The Professor" by Charlotte Bronte, which I snapped up from Beth's collection before repacking them.

Really, shouldn't we be moving soon?

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Ah, the good old days

þat it please youre highnesse of youre influent grace by the auctorite of þis youre parliament to pardon
and acquite all and euery prest aswell religiouse as seculer of all maner felonie3. of rape done by fore the first
day of Iune next comynge

These guys had the gall to ask for a proactive pardon for sex-crimes by priests?!
The 1440's were a wild time indeed... but they go on:

And also to pardon and relese by the auctorite of the same parliament to all and euerich
prest Seculer stipendiar anuell all yat longeth or apper teineth to youe by wey of forfature of euerich of theim. by fore
the said first day of Iune by cause of takyng excessious selarie contrarie to the statutes theruppon made

Ah, asking to be let off for dipping their hands in the offering basket? Oh, but they offered a fine of 6 shillings, 8 pence to be paid of any of them who were caught...

by cause it touchith þe Immunite and
liberte of þe Chirch. the which þe kyng intendith to kepe withoute hurt or preiudice in alle
wyse. And as touchyng the pardon conteyned in this bille. in cas þe nobles of þe saide preestes be grauntid
to hym in þe said Conuocacions. then þe kyng woll þat the saide pardon stonde in his vertu
and strenght. with oute fyne or fee payng þerfore by auctorite of þis present parlement.

Yeah, I did it! So what, wanna fightaboutit?

And. yn struglyng be twene hem bothe: he brake of the seales: and so he knoweleched the brekyng ther of: openly
a fore alle the Court / and said these wordes: I didde hit. what wolle ye sey ther to: take youre auauntage:

Thanks to the Pope

This week the holy father will beatify a conscientious objector who was beheaded in Berlin for refusal to fight in Hitler's army. His martyrdom is an inspiration to us all.

26 Friday
Linz (Austria), Cathedral, at 10.00
Beatification of the Servant of God
- Franz Jägerstätter