Wordplay

Hello again, The Bank of England’s decision to replace Elizabeth Fry with Winston Churchill would have meant that there was no woman apart from her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, on English banknotes. Ms. Caroline Perez, freelance journalist, ran a campaign to do something about this. So much so that the Bank of England stated that its new 10-pound note due out in 2017 will include a picture of Jane Austen. This following Ms. Perez’s having a petition signed by 35,000 + people. However Ms. Perez experienced a deluge of threats and abuse including rape on Twitter according to latest reports. Ms. Perez tells us ‘It’s sadly not unusual to get this kind of abuse but I’ve never seen it as intense or aggressive as this. It’s infuriating that the price you pay for standing up for women is 24 hours of rape threats. We are showing that by standing together we can make a real difference. We made the Bank of England change its mind we can do the same with Twitter.’ Scotland Yard say that a 21-year-old Manchester man will be questioned today about this according to reports. Meanwhile reports indicate that there is much pressure on Twitter from some government sources to have them speedily change Twitter’s stance on abuse. Shadow Home Secretary, Ms. Yvette Cooper has written to Mr. Tony Wang, general manager of Twitter saying ‘the official response from Twitter continues to be extremely weak – simply directing Caroline away from Twitter towards police directing users to abuse reporting forms on Twitter…. The response by Twitter has clearly been inadequate and fails not only Caroline but many women and girls who have faced similar abuse on Twitter.’ Apparently attempts are also being made to organise a boycott of the free social media platform on August 4th. CAN YOU SOLVE THESE RIDDLES: I’m tall when I’m young and I’m short when I’m old. What am I? How can a trouser pocket be empty and yet contain something? In a posh bungalow there was a pink person, a grey cat, a black computer, a white chair, a red table, a yellow telephone and a purple shower. What colour was the carpet on the stairs? What goes up when rain comes down? Answers tomorrow Answers to yesterday’s stuff: A snail Rain INSPIRATION: You can never cross the ocean until you have courage to lose sight of the shore. – Christopher CFolumbus Words to the wise: Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them. - Paul Valery (1871-1945) French poet and writer ON THIS DAY: Feast of St. Martha 362 - Emperor Julianus of Constaniople ended the education laws. 904 - Renegade Leo of Tripoli sacks 904 Thessalonika. 1655 – The world’s biggest townhall was opened in Amsterdam. 1751 – The first international world-title fight took place in England by M. Petit of France and Mr. Jack Stack of England. Mr. Stack won in a fight which lasted twenty nine minutes. 1773 – The first school west of the Allerghy Mountains was completed in Schoenbrum OH. 1786 – The first newspaper west of Alleghanies, The Pittsburg Gazette, was published. 1835 – The first sugar plantation in Hawaii begins. 1907 – The first ever helicopter ascent took place in Douai, France. Sacred Space: Hail to our chief hail Mr. Mandela a man of unutterable integrity. He was a solicitor, civil rights campaigner, was a founder member of the African National Congress, spent twenty-seven years in jail, became president of South Africa, and is a world statesman. Few people ever attain his integrity and I know of no one who loves a nation as he loves his country. How do you get such integrity? I am reminded of a story, and the place where the old rocking horse is speaking. He tells us that most of his hair has fallen and he has only one eye. But he doesn’t mind at all because it means he is real. ‘You see becoming real costs not less than everything.’ HOW DO I LOVE THEE? Elizabeth Barrett Browning How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, where feelings out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of every day’s Most quiet need, by sun and candle light. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with childhood’s faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints - I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, all my life! And if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death. Smile a while: Why won't prawns share their toys? They're shellfish! What's orange and sounds like a parrot? A carrot. What is a parrot? A wordy birdy. What do you get if you cross a chicken with an electricity socket? A battery hen. Talk tomorrow Valerie LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Many moons ago, ‘St. Brendan the Navigator’ left Ireland in a boat and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean wanting to discover new lands in which to prech the word of God. He discussed this idea with people who had maratime knowledge that was useful to anyone desiring to embark on long sea voyages. Brendan then headed for Kerry and built himself a craft of leather and wood to the specifications advised. With the help of a sail and oars and using only the stars for navigation, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean and landed either in the coast of Virginia or Conneticut. Travelling inland he came across the Mississippi River or its tributary the Ohio. Here a mystical stranger appeared to Brendan and urged him that he had travelled far enough and it was now for others to take up the cause. Brendan returned to Ireland and set up a number of monasteries – his most famous foundation at Clonfert, near Ballinasloe, Co. Galway had over 3,000 monks from far and wide. He wrote a book about ‘The Life and Times of Brigid’: this great man’s life ended when he was ninety-four years old in 577 and his monks buried him within the boundaries of his Clonfert monastery. I feel like St. Brendan heading out into cyberspace, or the blogosphere, where are they? I am not at all sure about ‘my craft’ and even less sure of where it is ‘landing’. As a Franciscan missionary nun I am excited and delighted. I am also very scared and not a little daunted. Am I totally cracked? Probably: but more than delighted to ‘take a chance on Him.’ Will I ‘meet’anyone at all? If I do what will they be like? Will they agree with a word I tap out? Today is supposed to be a ‘retreat, quiet, refelective,’ time for me but I am very tempted to go ahead and ‘improve my craft’. After all I am committing this entire project, for good or ill, to Him. So, come on, God, let’s improve, strengthen, and develop this craft together.