Some Piping for the Weekend

Dublin's St Lawrence O'Toole Pipe Band playing their medley in the 2009 World Championship competition in Glasgow. Leading off with The Girl from Dungannon, usually a slow air but this time a hornpipe.

On This and That

Hot today but not the brutal heat predicted. One is grateful. Tomorrow, says the weather predicting thingummy on my mobile phone, will be even cooler. For a very long time one hopes.

You've probably noticed that most of the illustrations on The Inn are missing. The picture hosting site has been rather severely hacked. The pictures will, I hope, be back in the fullness of time. But maybe not. These things are sometimes irreversible so they tell me. I still have almost all of them on cds or portable hard drives so if you are in desperate need of a jpg that appeared on this effort, feel free to drop me a note and I will try to dig it up when I get a moment. (It won't be tomorrow: two funerals, a class, and an evening dance if my plantar fasciitis quiets down.) If the pics really are irretrievable, we will just start anew. I can promise that I will not go back over 7 years of The Inn to manually replace what's lost. I promised myself when I started this that it would not become another of my obsessions. Replacing all the illustrations over 7 years would leave obsession in the dust.

We are absolutely delighted with the Angels win last night. I turned it off about 7-ish to leave for class and they were behind 6-5. What a surprise to come home and find them winners 7-6. Saturday they have a decent chance to even it up; Saunders can do it. Sunday is more doubtful. Getting past Sabathia is no walk in the park. Fingers crossed.

Anglican Use News

There is a blog bearing that title here. It seems to be living up to its name. Well worth a visit. I've added it to the blogroll on the left in a couple of useful categories.

More on the Anglican Gesture

Mrs Vidal points out that the papal response to the Anglican traditionalists was made on 20 October, the feast of St Paul of the Cross: "For fifty years he prayed for the conversion of England, and left the devotion as a legacy to his [spiritual] sons." More here.

Some thoughts from a Catholic minded Anglican priest in Canada.

Another view, this time from an English parish priest in the CofE.

The major press organs, the drive-by-media, or however you like to phrase that, seem all to have received the memo on how to interpret this. Note the wording of the headlines from the New York Times (the mobile edition): Vatican Bidding to Get Anglicans to Join Its Fold; from the Wall Street Journal: Vatican in Bold Bid to Attract Anglicans; from the L.A. Times: Disillusioned Anglicans invited to join Catholic Church. The Press Telegram used the word "lure" but SWMBO has already tossed this morning's paper and I can't look up the exact wording. I presume there are more but that ought to do for starters. Not one of them says Vatican Responds with Generosity to Anglican Plea. I haven't seen a mention of the glorious gesture of the Traditional Anglican Communion in presenting a copy of the Catholic Catechism, signed in agreement by all the Communion's bishops, to the Holy Father with a plea to be accepted by Peter.

An Anglican Rite in the Roman Church?

Something like. Almost.

It's too new to fully understand but it seems like wonderfully good news. The principal hitch in the gitalong that strikes me is the dependence upon the local bishop's conference. Leaving things up to the hapless bench is what almost killed Ecclesia Dei. But God is merciful. Other than that, I have no comment except what the Te Deum expresses.

From the Vatican website:

With the preparation of an Apostolic Constitution, the Catholic Church is responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion.

In this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. Under the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, pastoral oversight and guidance will be provided for groups of former Anglicans through a Personal Ordinariate, whose Ordinary will usually be appointed from among former Anglican clergy.

So begins the preliminary document released this morning. There's much discussion on the web, though. Some early commentary:

From Dr Moynihan's irregular letters. He reports from the press conference.

Damian Thompson's blog at the Daily Telegraph in London: here, here, here, and here. It's early days yet; no doubt there will be many more. Here's the main link to his blog.

The text of the Westminster/Canterbury letter.

The response of Archbishop Hepworth, the primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion. (It ought to be pointed out that by no means all of the TAC are looking forward to union with Rome. There is a strong Evangelical base to the TAC.)

Well, I do have one comment after all. This move of the Holy Father's will provide the main thing that has been lacking so far in the Pastoral Provision or Anglican Use communities: a structure. Up to now there has been no bishop, no seminary, no house of formation, no religious order, nothing that could provide a continuity. (As of last month, there is now one religious order, the All Saints Sisters of the Poor in Catonsville, Maryland.) As of this morning, that is changed. A structure for preservation and continuity is being prepared. A great gift of God.

Solemn High Traditional Mass at St Peter's Basilica - the First in 40 Years

So says this report in Dr Moynihan's periodic letter.

Even if you're in Rome, you missed it because it was this morning -- about 10 hours ago as of this writing. But a landmark event, nonetheless. One more reason to be grateful to God for Pope Benedict XVI. This wouldn't have happened under Pope Paul VI of very unhappy memory indeed.

ADDENDUM: Not an unalloyed joy, it turned out. The brethren of the aggiornamentist- brotherly-love persuasion have once again shown themselves to be thoroughly ill-natured and petty. Vide licet.

Like MacArthur, We Have Returned.

The Seaside Games were great fun. Wonderful cool weather right beside, co-incidentally enough, the seaside. A nice handful of pipe bands and some good music. L.A. Scots was guest band but no competition for them. G-IV had Blandford, Pasadena, UCR, Gold Coast [a new-ish band local to Ventura], Salt Lake City, and Nicholsons. G-III's competition was between Blandford's and LA Scots' grade III ensembles. A couple of parade bands, George Hall's Black Watch band and the L. A. Police Emerald Society were also there.

The comp results (from the Dunsire Forum):

SATURDAY

Grade 4:

U.C.Riverside
Pasadena Scots
Nicholson
Salt Lake Scots

Grade 3:

Kevin R. Blandford Memorial
L.A. Scots


SUNDAY

Grade 4:

Pasadena Scots
U.C.Riverside
Nicholson
Salt Lake Scots
Gold Coast

Grade 3:

Kevin R. Blandford Memorial
L.A. Scots

There were loads of other excellent musicians and dancers, too. If you find these folks in your area, do not fail to catch their performance. A wonderful family band that will lift you out of your seat.

Lots of SCD people were there and a dance on Saturday night. I'm told it was good. We missed it. We went back to our room for a rest Saturday afternoon and fell asleep. Eventually awoke and scouted up some dinner but too late for most of dance.

For the first time I caught a good deal of the Highland dancing. It's an interesting endeavour and extremely taxing for the feet but a beautiful performance when it's well-done. I was particularly interested in watching the dance piper. Now that's a gruelling task. The same tunes played the same way at the same tempo for every competitor in each event. I don't know what they paid him, if anything, but it wasn't enough.

I took some photographs but nothing blog-worthy resulted. The phone camera ones all had too much light. And the ones taken with the proper camera are all too dark.

Off for the Weekend

We will be at the Ventura Seaside Highland Games this weekend. They have a website here if you're interested. So there may not be any more posting until Monday or Tuesday. I'll see what I can do from the pda, but as we have pointed out before, thumb typing is not my favourite thing to do. The thing is, I'm used to touch typing and I'm pretty good at it. The fingers can keep pace or not be too far behind the thoughts. With thumb typing I forget half of what I wanted to say. Not always a bad thing, to be sure. Saves a world of editing.

Some Piping for the Weekend

A few jigs on Scottish smallpipes with a chanter in A: Drops of Brandy, Whiskey Boys, and the Jig of Slurs. I don't know the name of the piper but he says his pipes are made by Malcolm MacLaren out of Australian Gidgea wood. A lovely, rich tone, no?

The President Wins A Major Award

From the Norwegians, no less.

The Dodgers Won the First of the Playoff Games Last Night . . .

. . . or maybe the Cardinals merely lost. That game either tied or beat the record for most walks in a post season game. And they threw in a few hit batsmen for good measure. Not whatcha call your pitcher's duel. And how many runners did both teams leave stranded? Vinny said, but I forgot. Wasn't it 30-something?

Yet it was an entertaining game if you were local and could listen to Vin Scully call it on the radio. Where they get those TV network fellas is beyond me.

And today the Angels play their first against the Red Sox, who - alas - have had their number all season. We will hope; it is, after all, baseball in which anything can happen. But we will also not bet the farm.

This is crying out for a witty, ironic headline or at least a decent pun. . .

. . .but my headline-creating juices seem to have dried up.

But take a look at this.

Yes, it's almost three months old. But what a delightfully serendipitous find here in a month when The Sainted One tried his hardest to foist both a Canadian-style health system and an Olympic Games upon the poor old bankrupt United States.

CNN "Fact Checks" a Saturday Night Live Sketch

Seriously. It seems SNL may have used [shock! horror!] exaggeration in poking a little fun at The Sainted One. CNN rushes to correct any misconceptions.

It's as if CNN and the St. Petersburg Times are trying to reinforce the impression that they are in the tank for Obama.

If only there a Pompous Twit award for television networks.

The WSJ will give you the details here with appropriate video links so you can "fact check" for yourself.

If the new health care marvel of the age programme is not going to fund abortions. . .

. . . .than why is the amendment embodying that provision continually stonewalled and not brought to the floor?

Bill McGurn's column asks the question here.

That is just what Mr. Stupak [a Democratic congressman from northern Michigan] is trying to do with an amendment to the health-care legislation would explicitly ban federal funding for abortion. Here's the problem: His own party won't let him bring it to the floor for a vote. It's a replay of earlier this year, when the leadership blocked a similar Stupak effort on a financial appropriations bill that ended up removing restrictions on D.C. taxpayer funding for abortion.

"The most frustrating thing is we go to the Rules Committee, they smile and say 'thank you,' and then we're left at the door," says Mr. Stupak. "At least give us a chance to let people debate and vote."

The effort to suppress Mr. Stupak's amendment is particularly ironic given the pledges Speaker Nancy Pelosi makes in her manifesto "A New Direction for America." In this document, she asserts that "no Member of Congress should be silenced on the floor." She also calls for a "full amendment process."

Last week Mr. Stupak, 24 other Democrats and 158 Republicans sent the speaker a letter asking her to make good on that pledge. Members of the House, they said, should have the "right to vote their conscience on an amendment offered by Congressmen Stupak and [Joe] Pitts [R., Pa.] regarding government funding for abortion."

Novena to St Teresa of Avila

The annual novena to St Teresa of Avila begins today.

All the days are published together under one post in this novena. You can use the same link each day. You can find it here.

"How Can You Buy Killarney?"

The old come-all-ye of the same name implied that it couldn't be done.

As it turned out, the whole country was for sale.

Independence paled after a mere 86 years.

Sidelight on the Obamacare Propaganda

But it defies reason to believe that we can add millions to the system, require insurance of people with existing conditions and diseases, without paying a great deal more. Protestations that we will save the money by eliminating fraud and waste are never credible: if that can be done, do it first, show the savings, and spend the savings on health care reform. I note that this is never seriously proposed.

And they never catch wise...

from Jerry Pournelle

2 October - Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels

Guardian Angel

My oldest friend, mine from the hour
When first I drew my breath;
My faithful friend, that shall be mine,
Unfailing, till my death;

Thou hast been ever at my side;
My Maker to Thy trust
Consign'd my soul, what time He framed
The infant child of dust.

No beating heart in holy prayer,
No faith, inform'd aright.
Gave me to Joseph's tutelage,
Or Michael's conquering might.

Nor patron Saint, nor Mary's love,
The dearest and the best,
Has known my being, as thou hast known,
And blest, as thou hast blest.

Thou wast my sponsor at the font;
And thou, each budding year,
Didst whisper elements of truth
Into my childish ear.

And when, ere boyhood yet was gone,
My rebel spirit fell,
Ah! thou dist see, and shudder too,
Yet bear each deed of Hell.

And then in turn, when judgements came,
And scared me back again,
Thy quick soft breath was near to soothe,
And hallow every pain.

Oh! who of all thy toils and cares
Can tell the tale complete,
To place me under Mary's smile,
And Peter's royal feet!

And thou wilt hang about my bed,
When life is ebbing low;
Of doubt, impatience, and of gloom,
The jealous sleepless foe.

Mine, when I stand before the Judge,
And mine, if spared to stay
Within the golden furnace, till
My sin is burn'd away.

And mine, O Brother of my soul,
When my release shall come;
Thy gentle arms shall lift me then,
Thy wings shall waft me home.

-John Henry Cardinal Newman
The Oratory, 1853

Some Piping for the Weekend

Another tune from some Irish Defence Forces pipers and drummers. There aren't very many videos or recordings of the Irish Defence Forces pipes out there and this one is fairly recent. Most of the band members in this group are army but there are some from the Air Corps also. And since they're using the Air Corps' bass drum with their logo prominently displayed it looks like an Air Corps band. Hence the misleading title that appears at the top "Royal Irish Air Band". The "Royal" part is just wrong; I can't think of an excuse for that.

Once again, they're playing with the KFOR, i.e., the UN forces in Kosovo. The tune is "The Pikemen", the arrangement in Terry Tully's "Collection of Traditional Irish Music". It's a shame the camera missed the first part. But a good, rousing march all the same.

If You Can't Stand the Heat. . . .

. . . .go for a sail. After a short respite, we're back into the 90s. Hotter than the hinges of hell as my grandfather used to say. Not sure why the hinges of hell should be hotter than any other part of it, but it does have a rhythm to it. So more pictures of water from last week for no other reason that I enjoy looking at them in this heat. (The pictures are enormous on Firefox; specifying "small" in the loading software doesn't help. But Opera presents them in a reasonable size, although if you want humongous you can click on them and achieve same. No idea what happens using Mickey$oft's Internet Exploder.)



Leaving the marina.


Still in the marina.


One of the Long Beach oil islands


Water, water everywhere. . . .


The Long Beach Yacht Club in the distance. I've played pipes here for a few events, weddings, anniversaries, and a memorial service or two for members.


A marina-view restaurant, fronted by The City of Long Beach. (Not the actual city, no. That's the name of the boat.)


From the dock; a forest of masts.

La Morenita

The solution to Honduras's political problems: the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In the past three months, a slew of Latin American presidents, foreign ministers, ambassadors and even a Nobel Peace Prize winner, have failed to find a solution to the political standoff that has split Honduras. Now, many despairing Hondurans say, may be time for a little divine intervention.

So every day, more and more Hondurans are calling on the Virgin of Suyapa, a 3-inch statuette of the Virgin Mary, made of dark wood and nicknamed La Morenita, or the Little Dark One, for help. Over the centuries, La Morenita, which was found on a hillside in 1747 and now makes its home at a small whitewashed colonial church near the capital, has been credited with sundry miracles, from curing kidney stones to ending a brief war.

The rest of the WSJ's front page story.

St Therese

Today is the feast of St Therese in the Pauline Rite. As usual, EWTN has an archive of excellent material. No need for The Inn to try and reinvent the microchip. Click here for as much as you could wish for on Sr Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, O.C.D.