Tired...

Right now I'm really tired... bone-achingly tired. Work seems to be expanding to fill all available time, and I haven't had the energy or the inclination to put up much more than the occasional post, most of which are apologies for not blogging... even worse, I haven't been reading blogs...

I have even (*gasps in horror*) been considering whether to knock the blogging on the head... the jury is still out on that one.

In the meantime, I'm off for an early night...

How Many Deaths Will Be Too Many...?

The HPV vaccine is being administered to schoolgirls in England right now.

Quite apart from the moral issues involved (though I feel strongly about these too) I think that the vaccination programme has been rushed through.

In the US, the vaccine, called Gardasil, has been associated with some adverse reactions - the Center for Disease Control & Prevention reports a rate of approximately 0.06%.

93% of these adverse reactions were what the CDC terms "non-serious" - that is, anything other than hospitalization, death, permanent disability, and life-threatening illness. Most of the adverse reactions were fainting, pain and swelling at the injection site (the arm), headache, nausea and fever.

There have been 43 reports of death among women receiving Gardasil. This was the official figure in the US up to June 2009. The authorities say that there is no evidence to suggest that these deaths were actually due to the vaccine...

There is no evidence to say that they were not due to the vaccine, either.

And now there has been a death of a schoolgirl in England following her vaccination with Cervarix, the vaccine chosen for use in the UK, though the post-mortem has yet to be carried out, so there isn't any evidence to prove that the vaccine was responsible.

Cervarix isn't licensed for use in the US. I haven't found out why. Speculation as to why the UK chose Cervarix over Gardasil suggests that it was due to financial considerations.

The figures quoted by the BBC (4,657 reported adverse reactions out of 1.4 million doses) suggest that the rate of adverse reactions for Cervarix is higher than that for Gardasil: 0.3%.

How much warped thinking is going on here, and why hasn't more been made of this in the media? They were quick enough to start screaming about swine flu.

Now, I am a scientist. I know that there is no such thing as a treatment without side effects. One has to weigh up the risks against the benefits. But this vaccine is being given because it reduces the risk of cervical cancer: it doesn't eliminate the chance of getting cervical cancer. Gardasil protects against 2 strains of the Human Papilloma Virus which cause around 70% of cervical cancers. The use of the cervical smear screening programme at 3 year intervals, on the other hand, helps to pick up 84% of changes which would, if untreated, lead to cervical cancer.

In addition, giving the vaccine in school is, I think, a big mistake. The girls at my school were been given their injection and sent straight back to class. None of the teachers were given any advice on what sort of adverse reactions to expect: and several girls reported headaches, nausea, soreness in their arms and dizzy spells - more so than would be expected compared to the BCG vaccinations, for example.

No doubt the post-mortem on the schoolgirl in Coventry will show that she had some underlying medical problem which predisposed her to an adverse reaction. I'm sure that is how it will be explained. But no-one in school has been advised of any medical problems which would constitute contra-indications for the vaccine. I'd be very surprised to hear that parents were told of specific risk factors.

In the meantime, I fear that there will be more deaths before anyone takes action.

Jesus Loves Me...?

I thought he was crucified rather than being thrown to the lions, but...

Not quite as good as the I Can Has Cheezburger? site, as there aren't any witty captions, but cat-lovers will still enjoy this one!

Deanery Mission Year...

The Deanery of Bexley is having a Mission Year, and to start us off, we had Mass in Blackfen on Friday evening. I arrived from work, feeling totally shattered, as I'm still getting to grips with my new timetable (it's a two-week timetable, and I'm teaching in nine different rooms with ten different classes, so "getting to grips" is a lengthy process!) and the start of the school term is always a hectic time.

Not being a breakfast person (yes, I know) and not having time to stop for lunch (I know, I know!!) I was delighted to see that some of the UCM were working incredibly hard to ensure that we had some light refreshments available after the Mass...

Walking through the church to get a hymn book, I suddenly saw the most massive spider suspended above a pew. Any big building will have spiders, but this one appeared just to be suspended in mid air... and then I saw it was actually sitting in the middle of an enormous web which stretched from the roof of the church down to the pew. I wish I'd had some hairspray handy, as it was the most beautiful construction, and I tried to take a photo, but there wasn't enough dust around for the web to show up...

I tried to get a close-up shot, but I was worried that the "Beast of Blackfen" might be a little camera-shy, and I didn't want it trying to crawl over me at some point during the Mass: Beastie has got rather long legs...

Knowing that the web (because of its position) had only been made in the space of a few hours, it almost broke my heart to have to destroy it. But only almost... this spider had ambition, and would probably have spun its web right across the aisle if I'd left it.

The refreshments seemed to be well-received. I'm afraid that I was incredibly greedy, and wolfed down about 10 of the most delicious cheese and onion sandwiches... Not a bad start for the Mission Year. Watch this space for details of further events...

Mini-Blognic In Blackfen...

Last Sunday, Mike Forbester (Rudgate Ramblings) happened to stop by in Blackfen for Mass. Afterwards, I persuaded him to pose for a little photo with the Blackfen Posse...

We have quite a few bloggers in Blackfen: from left to right Patricius, Zephyrinus (who only comments), His Hermeneuticalness, Mike and Leutgeb.

While I'm about it, Mike mentioned that regular Extraordinary Form Masses are to recommence in York, starting from Sunday 11th October, at the Church of the English Martyrs, Dalton Terrace in York. It will be at 6.30pm, and for the time being, it will be a Low Mass. The celebrant will be Fr Stephen Maughan. This is definitely good news.

Memory Lane...

Something or other reminded me of this song by Luther Vandross,

and that in turn triggered the memory of this other song by Mike and the Mechanics...

Of course, what I had forgotten was the reason that I stopped listening to these two excellent tracks: they each reduce me to a blubbering wreck within a few bars. They are, however, very good songs, if you can get past the emotional baggage... or is it because of the baggage?

Blogging is still sporadic because of work pressures, and I'm feeling a teensy weensy bit neglected and unloved... has anyone even noticed my absence from the blogosphere...?

*sniff*

Extending A Very Warm Welcome...

...RJW has posted the occasional comment on this blog. I am delighted to see that he has decided to start his own blog, and that he has excellent taste - I am on his blogroll.

Do pop over to The Accidental Blog and say hello!

Twitch of the mantilla to Adrienne.

The Holy Father To Visit Britain!

It seems that the Holy Father is planning to visit the UK in 2010. I have been busy teaching all day, and only heard a one-line snippet on BBC Radio 4 as I drove home.

Obviously a visit from the person we Catholics consider to be Christ's representative on Earth only merits a passing comment taking up around 30 seconds-worth of valuable air time... after all, the Lib-Dem Party Conference ended today, and that is of far more importance. Mind you, this could be a blessing in disguise, given the anti-Catholic bias of Auntie Beeb.

Damian Thompson has suggested the autumn as the most probable timing for the visit... Radio 4 said January in the aforementioned snippet. And the BBC news website just says 2010, but thinks that there may be a link to Cardinal Newman's beatification, and suggests that it will be a six-day visit.

Fr. John Boyle just pipped me to the post by getting his report done before me: obviously he heard the news while near his computer! He gives a list of all the papers which have reported the impending visit. And, as he so rightly says, we need to start our spiritual preparation now...

I Won An Award...!

Quite a sweet one to win, actually! Fr. Anthony Ho awarded the Loyal Friend and Visitor Award to me, and now I have to pass it on.

The rules are as follows:

1. Copy the loyal picture above and post it on your blog.

2. Pass it on to those whom you think is / are deserving.

3. Leave a message for them.

4. Pass it on to as many people as you want.

5. Leave a comment with the person who originally gave you the award.

Ok, now, I would like to pass on this award to:

1. Leutgeb (because she occasionally reads my blog, but is too good a friend to tell me that I blog too much about cats and blonde jokes!)

2. Karen (because she reads my blog far too often... usually from work, and the time difference means she is often the first one to comment...)

3. Patricius (because he reads my blog so carefully that he knows what I'm going to tell everyone in the Parish club before I open my mouth!)

4. Fr. Tim (because he reads my blog occasionally, but, when I'm telling everyone in the Parish club what I wrote, he pretends he hasn't read it already... then again, maybe he hasn't read it...)

5. Mike (because he visited the Parish and said nice things about it... the photo's going up soon, just been a bit busy...)

I know How It Feels...

The I Can Has Cheezburger? Team have started a related blog, Dreaming of Kittens, for pictures and videos of cute napping kittens. Slightly less compulsive viewing than the LOLcats (there are no witty captions) but definitely "up there" in the "ahhhh" stakes.

Having crashed out for five hours this evening (ooops) I can sympathise with this little one...

God In The Dock...?

Some of my students really have a weird outlook on life.

Handing out some worksheets to one of my new Year 8 classes, I was stopped by one boy who wanted to know why, if I was called "Miss," I wore a wedding ring.

I explained that I had taken vows. "So, you're, like, married to God then?" queried another student.

This caused some consternation: "What? So does that mean you can't get a divorce?"

I hope that the fleeting consideration which flitted across my mind of how one could possibly go about claiming any alimony doesn't constitute a mortal sin...

The Seven Dolours of Our Lady...

This morning started badly - the shower attachment on my bath taps gave up the ghost in most spectacular fashion, resulting in my bathroom floor being completely awash, while my hair wasn't. Not wanting to be late for work, I decided to deal with it all when I got home...

So, after a fairly hectic day, I abandoned the pile of books waiting to be marked, and high-tailed it out of school in order to get to one of my local shops which sells householdy-type things. Being home much earlier than usual, I washed my hair, stuck something prepackaged in the microwave, and settled down in front of the computer for a quick browse through the blogs.

Patricius has a beautifully reflective post on the Stabat Mater, in which he mentioned that his favourite version was the one by Aniero. I checked the (small) collection of classical CDs in my possession, and then went on to You Tube in the hopes of finding it there, but no joy. Instead, I found the following version by Palestrina...

I used to have a Rosary of the Seven Dolours: I acquired it soon after I returned to the Faith, seventeen years ago (I don't remember the exact date, but it was some time in September: the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C to be precise... this meant that the Gospel was the one which read "There is more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner..." and, having just been reconciled to the Church, I sat and sobbed through the sermon. Very moving!) I was drawn to Traddy devotions and prayers before I actually realised that they were Traddy.

Anyway, the Seven Dolours Rosary (or chaplet, actually) consists of seven groups each of seven beads, separated by seven medals, one for each of Our Lady's seven sorrows. There are also three extra beads, representing the tears shed by Our Lady at the foot of the Cross, and a medal of Our Lady of Sorrows.

The seven sorrows of Our Lady are:

1. The prophecy of Simeon.
2. The flight into Egypt.
3. The loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple.
4. Mary meets Jesus carrying His cross.
5. The Death of Jesus
6. Mary received the body of Jesus from the cross
7. The body of Jesus is placed in a tomb.

Still Alive, Still Blogging...

I don't seem to have much in the way of blogging time at the moment. However, today was the second anniversary of the Promulgation of Summorum Pontificum, and I sort of felt that I couldn't allow it to pass without comment of some sort...

The best comment is actually to be found by watching Fr. Tim's video...

We had an extra Mass in the parish this evening, in the Extraordinary Form, which was fortuitous.

It also happened to be the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross... and, as Fr. Tim has a Relic of the True Cross, those of us present were able to venerate it.

I feel as if I've been crammed full of blessings... that sounds all wrong, but you know what I mean, I'm sure... My cup truly runneth over...

On that cheerful note, I'm off to bed. More soon.

Padre Pio Prayer Group...

Yesterday, after the usual Saturday morning Mass and devotions, we had a special Mass to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the parish's Padre Pio Prayer Group (it doesn't sound quite right calling it the "Saint Pio Prayer Group!") Braz, one of our deacons, was responsible for starting the Prayer Group; he recently left the parish in order to go and live with his daughter, and the Mass provided a good opportunity to say goodbye...

The ladies of the UCM really pulled out all the stops to provide a wonderful buffet lunch...

And here we have (from right to left) Fr. Tim, Hilda (leading the Prayer Group), Deacon Braz and another lady (in the pink top) who, I think, co-ordinates several Padre Pio groups. I didn't quite catch her name.

Jo made the most delicious chocolate cake (actually, she made two, but the other one had been eaten by the time I got to take the photo), and I think there must have been a deliberate ploy to get me to ingest a few vitamins:

... putting tangerine segments on the chocolate cake is certainly the most reliable way to ensure that I eat more fruit...

Congratulations...

The Sisters of the Gospel of Life have welcomed a new Postulant: Sr. Amanda (in the middle), who was formally received into the Community on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I love to give the Sisters as much blogging coverage as I can, because they really do the most amazing work with the Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative, helping to save hundreds of babies from being aborted. Now that Sr. Amanda has joined them, hopefully their blog, Twitter and Facebook presence will increase...

(Heheheheheheheh)

BTW, if you want to support the work of the Sisters, there is a PayPal donation button on their blog, you can send items for the new mums and babies to 106 Dixon Avenue, Glasgow, G42 8EL, UK, (Amazon, Argos, Asda, Sainsburys, Tesco and Ocado all do baby stuff, and they even deliver...) and, most of all, you can PRAY for the success of their work and for the Community!

Once again, many congratulations to the Sisters, and to Sr. Amanda: ad multos annos!

Blogging Lite...

The start of the Autumn school term is a frenetic affair at the best of times, and I am already snowed under with lesson plans, practical equipment requisitions, piles of books to be marked and worksheets to design and photocopy...

Blogging will be somewhat sporadic over the next week or so...

You Couldn't Make This Up...

...well, not without everyone thinking you were several sandwiches short of a picnic.

Paulinus has just pointed out that the proposed change in the law which would allow assisted suicide is nearing completion... just as International Suicide Prevention Awareness Week draws to a close.

This Beggars Belief... (In More Ways Than One!)

I was in a good mood this evening. Tired, but content. I thought I'd treat myself to a small glass of wine while checking the blogs, as a form of relaxation before doing a little lesson planning for tomorrow.

And then I saw THIS.

Now, I'm no Einstein (too blonde!) ... but the implication that I love to worship Our Lord at services of Adoration and Benediction purely because I am illiterate and poorly educated is one I find rather offensive.

I will freely admit that I do not fully understand the Mystery which is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, but this is despite its availability in the vernacular. I do know that my Lord and my God condescends to become truly present at the Consecration at Mass... and therefore, the opportunity to adore Him for an hour or so is something of which I would wish to take advantage.

It seems blindingly obvious to me that if one truly believes in the Real Presence, one would be more eager to attend a personal audience with Jesus and receive His Blessing in Benediction, not less.

Perhaps Fr. O'Brien is misguidedly under the impression that anything pre-Vatican II is childish and immature, and that we don't need to do stuff like that any more, because we are more adult in our faith.

I would humbly suggest that he reads Matthew 18:3. For my part, I will echo Fr. Z's response (with one addition) -

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.

Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her spouse most chaste.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.

And now, being in a perfectly foul mood, I may have to consume the remainder of that bottle of wine...

UPDATE: I've decided that the priest in question should be renamed Fr. McBraindead...

The New Penalty For Cell Phones In Church...?

This made me chuckle...

Twitch of the mantilla to the Catholic Mom in Hawaii.

Of course, it's not as funny as the (possibly true) story I heard about the priest at Sunday Mass who, on hearing a mobile phone go off during his sermon, looked sharply at the culprit and said,

"Well, go on and answer it... and ask them why they're not here at church..."

New Blog On The Block...

Fr. Stephen Wang has started a new blog - called Bridges and Tangents, it's well worth a visit.

Fr. Stephen is a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Westminster, London. He also happens to be the brother of Mary, a friend of mine, but that has nothing to do with why I'm publicising his blog (actually, I'm shamelessly name-dropping!!)

However, Fr. Stephen is a very clever chap, as proved by the fact that he is Dean of Studies at Allen Hall seminary, where he also teaches philosophy and theology. His latest book is Aquinas and Sartre: On Freedom, Personal Identity, and the Possibility of Happiness.