Ordination - Pentecost Sunday

It was quite a weekend! Full report here:

http://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/news.asp?news=243

Ordination to the Diaconate

Monday 6th June at St Mary's College, Oscott. Ordination to the Priesthood on Sunday 12th, Pentecost, at St Chad's Metropolitan Cathedral Birminmgham. What a week! Laus Deo!

Asda goes back to imperial measurements in time for Wimbledon!

Sixteen years after shops in the UK were required to display weights in grams, Asda has said it will return to the imperial measures of pounds and ounces.

From Monday, Asda shoppers can once again buy strawberries by the pound, with plans to roll this out to other fruit and vegetables if it proves popular.

"We have had a steady stream of shoppers asking us to put imperial measurements back on packs as they are still confused with how much they get in grams," explained Andy Jackson, Asda's strawberry buyer.

"We have taken the common-sense approach and are trialling putting pounds and ounces back on our strawberries this summer season and see what the response is. No one wants to order a litre of beer in the pub, so why do we have to buy 453.39g of strawberries?"

Marmite may be 'illegal'!!!!

This is really good news for the 50% (including me!) who can't stand the stuff:

British savoury spread Marmite could be illegal in Denmark if it fails to meet safety requirements, officials say.

By law, the Danish authorities must give their approval for food fortified by vitamins or minerals before sale.

Products with such additives need to be assessed for any security concerns posed to the population, the Danish Food and Veterinary Administration say.

Denmark has previously banned several popular items, including the drink Ovaltine and some breakfast cereals.

Recently a shop in Copenhagen received a visit by local authorities seeking official paperwork for the sale of Marmite.

Cambridge top again!

The University of Cambridge has come top of the latest ranking of UK universities, published yesterday by The Guardian newspaper.

Universities are ranked according to how much they spend per student, their staff/student ratio, the career prospects of their graduates, what grades applicants need, a value-added score that compares the academic achievements of first years with their final degree results, and how content students are with their courses based on the National Student Survey.

A spokesman for the University said:

Cambridge is proud of the world-class education we offer - our students benefit from intensive tuition, exceptional individual support and some of the best academic facilities in the world, and they have excellent career prospects.

We admit the brightest and best students regardless of background and financial circumstances. We will continue to provide an extensive and flexible bursary scheme and invest in outreach activity to ensure this continues to be the case.

Any student who has the ability should consider making Cambridge one of their five choices when they apply to University.

The Danger of Digital Fixation

When it comes to the dangers of the digital age, most parents worry about what is on the screen of the computer. Recent research indicates that the screen itself just might be a very real danger.

Writing in The New York Times, physician Perri Klass warns that many parents are unaware of the risks posed by the digital screen. She tells of parents who tell the pediatrician that their child cannot have attention problems because he can watch a digital screen for hours on end. The child may have attention issues elsewhere, but not in front of a screen.

She writes:

In fact, a child’s ability to stay focused on a screen, though not anywhere else, is actually characteristic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. There are complex behavioral and neurological connections linking screens and attention, and many experts believe that these children do spend more time playing video games and watching television than their peers.

The beatification of Pope John Paul II

The beatification of Pope John Paul II, due to be celebrated in Rome – and around the world – on 1 May 2011, will mark the Church’s affirmation of the faith and life of a worthy servant of God. Blessed John Paul will be promoted as an exemplar of how to live the life of faith, with honesty, integrity and whole-hearted commitment.
Thursday 27 October 2011 will mark the silver jubilee of that invited gathering of religious leaders at Assisi, to mark the World Day of Prayer for Peace. Pope Benedict XVI, at the midday Angelus on the first day of this calendar year, called for this anniversary to be marked by a similar gathering. Our world needs peace and mutual understanding more than ever. Prayer across our divides – together – is one way in which we can strive for this. We can look to Blessed John Paul, Karol Wojtyła, to encourage us forward with a smile – and to bless again the new life taking shape within us.