Month: November 2012

Best of British: Part 6

2 comments

In my last post I moved on to talking about some of the newer British comedy shows I love. However, soon after posting, I realized that I had missed a few more of the classic shows which are dear to my heart. So, today I’m going to remedy this by talking a little bit more about some older shows, before returning to contemporary British comedy next time…

Drop The Dead Donkey

Before there was The Daily Show, there was Drop The Dead Donkey, a sit-com set in the fictitious GlobeLink News newsroom. What was wonderful about this show was that, since it was recorded close to transmission, it commented upon contemporary issues in society and politics.

It had some really great characters such as the two news anchors, Henry Davenport and Sally Smedley, who shared a passionate mutual disdain for one another. However, my favourite character was without a doubt the field reporter, the sometimes overzealous Damien Day…

Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em

Many know Michael Crawford from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “The Phantom of the Opera”. However, not so many people know him from the show Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em where he played the hapless and accident-prone Frank Spencer. Here some great physical comedy:

Waiting For God

Then there was Waiting For God, a comedy set in the rather surprising location of a retirement home. The two main characters are simply terrific – Diana is cynical and mean, while Tom is jovial and a little loopy. They strike up an unlikely friendship while “waiting for God”…

Only Fools and Horses

Finally, no discussion of my childhood comedy shows could possibly be complete without mentioning Only Fools and Horses, a show which has won a huge number of comedy awards over the years. I think it was very much inspired by another classic comedy, Steptoe and Son. Anyway, the show followed the shenanigans of Del and Rodney Trotter. These brothers make up Trotter’s Independent Traders (TIT), a company which buys and sells all kinds of merchandise, some of which include smoke-damaged fire alarms and raincoats marked “Dry clean only”.

In the clip below the brothers try their hand at chandelier repair…

Next time we’ll be back at looking at newer British comedy…

Portable Monastery

Leave a comment

I came across a great article a while ago which I thought I would share. Over at Ignitum Today that New Media genius Brandon Vogt has written a wonderful article entitled 6 Ways to Create a Portable Monastery:

Anyone who has seen the inside of my car will know that Brandon is man after my own heart. My Masda’s CD changer is pre-loaded with Christian music, some traditional, some contemporary. My driver’s side door is packed with CDs of unheard talks and my passenger door with those CDs I’ve now listened to and which will now be given away at the next JP2 Group meeting. I also have a rosary hidden in the cup holder compartment in case I need to pray away the anger after being cut up by some other driver! 🙂

Sneaking back into Eden

Leave a comment

Eden

“Any other hope of a transformed experience, however it may be induced, by drugs, music, art, therapies of whatever sort, will ultimately be exposed for what it is: a man-made attempt to walk back into Eden. Those who attempt that way have only themselves to blame if they are lacerated and wounded by the Cherubim’s whirling swords.

The only way is forward, out of the death of Eden, to the Spiritual rebirth of the Kingdom of God, leading finally to the reconciliation of all things in the consummation of Christ.”
– Bible Speaks Today on the Song Of Songs, Page 189

Saints or Suckers?

5 comments

When I was at University, I read a book by Jean Vanier in which he said that whenever a homeless person asked him for money, he would reach into his pocket and hand over the first coin he found, whether big or small.

Likewise, in an interview with Fulton Sheen’s niece, she said that her uncle would give money to the poor whenever it was asked of him. When she asked him if he might be being lied to by those asking for help, he simply responded “I can’t take the chance”.

Beggar

A little while ago I did a post about tithing where I spoke about the general responsibility Christians have towards the poor. However, this begs the question: what is the best way in which to help the poor?

For example, most social workers I’ve known have always said that you should never give money to beggars. Following this advice, some of my friends no longer hand over cash, but instead make sure that their car, purse or bag is always stocked with snacks, so that they have something to give when asked for help.

I recently read an article in Crisis Magazine which looks at this issue. I’d be interested to see what you think about it. What you think is the best way to help the poor?

1 2 3 … 8