In Bruges - Guns

No, sadly I have not set off on new travels, I just went to the movies.
I belong to a movie club which costs me (I think) $10 per year and gives me cheap admission and if I attend 5 movies at this theatre in 3 months, the fifth is free. It mainly shows art house movies, often in other languages.
Since returning from Europe I have seen (my ratings)
And When did you last see your Father(7)
Unfinished Sky (6)
The Visitor (8)
The Band's Visit (7)
and so had to see my 5th and free movie before the end of September.
I visited Bruges in 1974 and have a photo I took of it hanging on my wall. I visited again for just a few hours last year. So although the reviews talked about language and violence I decided to take the risk. I left in a state of shock. The views of Bruges were lovely but the trivia on IMDV says
"The word 'f..k' and its derivatives are said 126 times in this 107-minute film, an average of 1.18 'f..ks' per minute." I suppose it is a lifetime of telling students to mind their language. I do not mind an occasional use to give authenticity but....


I think I read on IMDB that there were 11 deaths, I only counted 6 but then I know I missed an important one to the story at the end when I had my eyes closed. It is not just the deaths, it is all the detail of blood etc. I have to keep telling myself it is just make believe but as stated usually close my eyes. Also each death seemed to take hours and involve at least 10 gun shots with all the grisly detail.

No, it was not entertainment for me. I wonder if these types of movies lead to the horrible massacres such as occurred in Finland this week. Such events hit home when they occur in some place with which you identify and I was in Finland in May. I was in Washington at the time of the Virginia Massacre. The news says that Finland is only behind the USA and one other country in number of guns per population. I remember my host telling me that Finns are keen hunters and believe owning guns is a right (sounds familiar)
Australia has had its terrible massacres leading to strict control of hand guns which was one time I applauded the detestable Prime Minister Howard. I do not want to speak too soon but at the moment we have a group of teenagers before the courts who attacked students and teachers at a nearby school earlier this year with baseball bats etc. There were injuries and trauma but no deaths. The results may have been different if they had access to guns. I have only been in one school where a gun was involved and it was a replica but very traumatic to the young teacher and nearby students. I am even nervous when travelling on the train next to a policeman who must carry his gun when in uniform.

I will choose my movies more carefully in future.

Personal feelings

Last Saturday I blogged about South Pacific. I began to think about the times I was in the Musical Society. I felt very nostalgic. Besides loving being on the stage and the high I was on for the two to three weeks of the production, it was great to have a group of friends away from work, most younger than me. There were the practice nights which were difficult because they often went late and I use to catch the 5.30am train to work in those days. Sometimes I had to drop out when it got too much for me. As the show dates came close, at least one day of each weekend was involved in organising scenery. I am not much good at practical things like that but I could carry the timber or hold the tools. I enjoyed the cameraderie.
I dropped out of the society in the mid 90's and lost contact except for an occasional meeting in the street. I tried to return about 5 years later but knew very few and was much older than the rest of the cast so did not stay. After writing the blog I was regretting the loss of those times and feeling a bit down.

Then I received a monthly email from Pink Mountains (I live in the Blue Mountains - get it.) I have never stirred myself to go to any of the activities advertised, I am 64 and the gay world is so ageist. However they had a link to this movie.



After watching I burst into tears of regret.

When I was at High school, in the late 50's, I did not even know what a homosexual was. I did not find out until I studied psychology at university and learnt to my horror that my inner feelings were a sin, needing psychological treatment.
When I was at school I would befriend some of the handsome guys thinking I wanted to "win them for Christ" but not understanding the goose bumps I had if they put their arm around me. I occasionally dated girls but there were no special feelings. I really did not want to kiss them goodnight. Again I put it down to living a virtuous Christian life.
How much better my life would have been, if I could have understood and acted on my adolescent feelings in a normal way.
When I did begin to act on these feelings, having found the psychological treatment a failure, I went to a newsagent away from where I lived or worked, bought magazines, sent letters to a post box (and established one of my own). Then you met a guy and would have sex straight away and usually never met again. Is it any wonder so many of us are so f...ked up sexually.

Things in schools are better today but nowhere near perfect. This film is not the norm but I have seen students in school where I worked who were not afraid to be 'out'. Very occasionally I have seen two boys holding hands in the main street. At least young people can meet in more normal surroundings and the topic is discussed in magazines, newspapers and on TV. I have heard teenagers talking in the train about who at school is gay and not obviously in any derogatory sense. Young gay men today may still be bullied but they usually know where to get help. Possibly it is more difficult in rural areas.

Anyway after having a good cry, I went and put my CD of South Pacific on and was soon waltzing around the lounge room. (Perhaps it is just as well I live alone). The next day at church the sermon was about the labourers in the field and the preacher at one stage said we should not hold regrets about the past. I am often amazed at how God speaks to me.

I get depressed but from observation of friends who suffer from depression, I know I do not. None of them would find a cure by playing a Broadway musical CD.
And this is the reason I become so angry with the fundamentalists today who would turn us back to those times of repression.

South Pacific

I have decided to be a little self-indulgent and blog about my "musical career". I have been inspired by a segment on the morning classic breakfast program to which I listen, which usually runs through an opera or operetta each week telling the story and playing some pieces. Last week was a little down market when they chose Rodger & Hammerstein's South Pacific but set me reminiscing.

This was the second show in which I participated with the Blue Mountains Musical Society way back in 1986. As always, I was just one of the chorus, a sailor, and can be seen on the left in the two photos below. The second with Bloody Mary in the front.The program shows me as playing the part of Seaman Tom O'Brien and I think I had a few lines of dialogue, I was always too nervous to take even a small singing part.

I always thought it was a rather sexist show 'There is nothing like a dame' but should take into account that it was first staged in 1949 and apparently it was ahead of its time in dealing with racism 'Carefully Taught'.
Of course, it is not unusual for a gay man to love musicals but to my knowledge none of those on stage with me were gay but then I was not out at the time. I was a bit bemused that the young men, mostly married, were keen to vaunt their heterosexuality despite obviously enjoying taking part in musical theatre.
Listening to the score, there are several songs in which the word 'gay' is used but not in its modern connotation. "I'm as trite and as gay as a daisy" in 'A Wonderful Guy' and 'gayer than laughter' in 'Younger than Springtime' which I love but could not find a good version on Youtube without all the lead up so instead have found this rendition of everyone's favourite 'Some Enchanted Evening' apparently by members of a current Broadway cast. Enjoy.



Playing the CD today and thinking how wonderful the songs are, I have been wondering why I do not remember enjoying my participation as much as some of the other shows I did. I think it is because the men's chorus is not involved in any of the great songs. They only sing 'There is nothing like a dame' which did not inspire me, 'Bloody Mary' which was OK and 'Honey Bun' also only okay. I will continue with this in future weeks.

A Sensible Archbishop

Oh that the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, were Archbishop of New South Wales.
Most of you have probably read his latest remarks but I do want to applaud him and stress these parts.
The Scriptures are primary but we read them informed by reason, tradition and from our cultural context as others read them from the perspective of their culture. God’s eternal word to us is Jesus and therefore we read and interpret the Scriptures in His light.
Why is it that as far as Anglicanism is concerned, we do not interpret the Scriptures literally when it comes to issues such as usury or marriage and divorce to name but two, but insist on a literal interpretation of texts that allegedly deal with homosexuality. It is difficult to believe that we have boxed ourselves into this particular corner. Allegorical, symbolical and mythical interpretations are allowed and have been allowed from the time of the Fathers to the present day for every part of the Bible, except for those that deal with sexuality and one is also left wondering why there cannot be diversity on this issue as on so many other moral issues.

GAFCON members do not believe in engaging in dialogue with people with whom they disagree on human sexuality because it means being open to the possibility that the position of one’s opponent might be true when the plain sense reading of Scripture shows in their view that it is not.

the consecration of a bishop living in a same-gender union has caused deep upset and outrage and questions both the view of Scripture and tradition, has hampered mission in some parts of the Communion and led to the persecution of Christians in others, and has impaired ecumenical relationships as our Roman Catholic observers told us.
On the other hand, in other places, it has sent positive messages about the place of homosexuals in God’s church. (my bold)

The whole of his sermon is well worth reading and pondering. O Excellent Archbishop.

Election

That got your attention :-) but no, it is not the US Presidential but the Local elections in the state of New South Wales which were held last Saturday.

The local councils are not very important in the scheme of things. They look after rubbish collection, footpaths and local roads, approve development unless it is important, in which case the State government takes control. The only education they provide are council libraries and some child care, the only health are baby health clinics and ensure cleanliness of food establishments.
They do not even have a place in our constitution and only exist if the State government allows. It is quite common for the State government to sack a council if there is a hint of corruption and put in administrators. Many of the councillors are just seeing their election as training for the bigger things although to be fair I guess a lot do see themselves as working for the community.

Anyway it provided me with my first day of paid work this calendar year. I work as an election official. Last year there was the State election in March and the National election in November. This year just the one and unless something unusual occurs there will be no work next year.

It is a long day as we start setting up just after 7am, the doors open at 8am and close at 6pm then we begin counting. The other elections with 2 houses to elect usually see us finishing after 10pm but the council elections are simpler so we were able to leave at 8pm. But I was still tired on Sunday.
For that reason, I have only just caught up with reading all the blogs. I do not know how those of you with full time jobs cope.

Our council is divided into 4 wards and the booth where I worked was the only one which took votes for all wards. It is on the border of wards 2 and 3 and someone made a monumental stuff up. The boundaries were changed since the last election and so there were 4 tables for ward 2 in which it was actually located and 1 table for each of the other wards. The officials moved around the tables to give us variety. When working on 1 and 4 it was a bit boring but Ward 3 (also with only one table) was flat out with a queue way out the door. Wards 1 and 4 had less than 50 votes all day, ward 2 (with 4 tables) took 2000 but ward 3 took 900. There were some very angry people.
Most of you will be surprised to learn that people did not just give up and go away. You see you cannot, unless you want to incur a $55 fine. Voting is compulsory in Australia. We could not increase the number of tables as we were only given one roll book to mark off.

We have to ask people if they have voted anywhere else in this election (it could be by post or at the pre-polls or at one of the other booths). I would like a dollar for everyone who tells me "once is enough". I feel like saying "Be thankful you live in a democracy and can vote" but instead I just smile and issue them with a vote after crossing their name off the list.

I am glad voting is compulsory as candidates do not have to 'get out the vote'. I believe most people do take it seriously knowing they have to attend. Some put in a blank vote, some do a 'donkey vote' (1,2,3,4 down the page) which give a very slight advantage to the person on the top (so there is a draw for ballot paper order). Some write rude words or even a rude essay which is only seen by those of us counting (plus scrutineers) and at that time of the night we could not care less and just put it on the informal pile. One man did screw his up and throw it in the bin but thankfully one of my co-workers noticed and retrieved it. Our books have to balance at the end of the night between votes issued and votes counted.

Our State Labor Government sort of imploded the week before the elections (new inexperienced Premier, lots of resignations and dummy spits) but does not have to face the electors until March 2010. Therefore many people took their annoyance out on the poor Labor local councillors. However in the Blue Mountains the gains were made by the Greens and in Ward 3, a group opposed to the building of a new chain supermarket in the main town rather than the main Liberal opposition.
Such fun and games but not very important in the world scheme of things. However am looking forward to the increase in my bank balance in a week or two.

On this rock the Jensens build a church

Only a half truth but one does not know whether to laugh or cry.

Scene: St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney. The stained glass windows have been boarded up, the altar table pushed into a corner, and the choir stalls broken up for scrap. A team of qualified demolition experts are using specialist heritage-sensitive tools (a jackhammer and two wrecking bars) to prise the last pipes out of the organ for scrap.Peter Jensen, Archbishop of Sydney (enters, looks round): All the Gothic business means the acoustics are rubbish, but this will do until I can bulldoze it and build something modern.
Read the rest
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/on-this-rock-the-jensens-build-a-church/2008/09/11/1220857739151.html

US Elections and Abortion

I guess the blogs will be full of the US Presidential elections for the next 2 months. I wish they were only of little interest to me here in Australia but unfortunately they do result in the election of probably the most powerful person in the world. Thankfully since our elections last December, our new government will be more independent and not slavishly follow the requests of the US government as occurred in the Howard years. I am not likely to comment as it is really none of my business however the Palin woman does frighten me. If McCain wins, his continuing good health will be uppermost in my prayers.

Thankfully religion does not play a major role in Australian elections. Our present Prime Minister is a regular churchgoer but my favorite Prime Ministers from the past were either atheists or did not pay much attention to their religion. I do not think many Australians would know or care about the religious beliefs of the leaders of our governments.

Thankfully the abortion issue is kept out of party politics as such matters are usually declared a conscience vote and members of parliament are free to vote according to conscience rather than along any party line. Abortion law is a State matter so differs accordingly but there is a private member's bill before the national parliament later this month to scrap Medicare funding for abortions in Australia for women who are more than 14 weeks pregnant. Of course, if it is passed it will just mean that wealthy women can still have later abortions and only impact on the poor and vulnerable. It seems unlikely to be passed. Similarly a year or so ago a bill to end the Health Minister's (a devout Catholic at the time) decade-long control over the abortion pill RU486 was passed by conscience voting.

I believe it is none of my business as to what a woman does with her body. But it is wrong to call anybody pro-abortion just because they believe it should not be a criminal offence. In an ideal world, abortion would not be necessary. There would be good sex education along with easily obtainable and foolproof contraception. Abortions would only be needed for health reasons. But we do not live in such a world and strangely the opponents of legalised abortion seem to also be against sex education in schools. These people, like the Palin woman, say they are pro-Life yet are pro capital punishment (thankfully it is 60 years since the last hanging in Australia)and pro war, even pro blood sports.

I have done some research and find it was not until the late 1800s that the Catholic Church instituted the belief that the embryo acquires a soul at conception. Before that, there was no general consensus on abortion.

Also surveys in Australia conducted from 2003 to 2005 suggest that 80 per cent of Australians support a woman’s right to choose. A 2003 survey found that 77 per cent of respondents who held religious views believe in the right to choose. Of the 1,000 Catholics surveyed 72 per cent favoured choice. Evangelical groups held more restrictive views but even among this group 53 per cent were pro-choice.
http//www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=7528

For some enlightened (in my view) discussion go and read Elizabeth Keaton

Nun's Story

A cabbie picks up a Nun

She gets into the cab, and notices that the VERY handsome cab driver won't stop staring at her.
She asks him why he is staring.
He replies:
'I have a question to ask you but I don't want to offend you.'
She answers,
'My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive.'
'Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me.'
She responds,
'Well, let's see what we can do about that:
First you have to be single and
Second, you must be Catholic.'
The cab driver is very excited and says,
'Yes, I'm single and Catholic!'
'OK' the nun says. 'Pull into the next alley.'
The nun fulfills his fantasy, with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.

But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.
'My dear child,' says the nun, 'why are you crying?'
'Forgive me but I've sinned. I lied and I must confess,
I'm married and I'm Episcopalian.'
The nun says, 'That's OK.
My name is Kevin and I'm going to a fancy dress party

Mandalay

While I love reading the posts listed on the right and usually agree with their philosophies and theologies, I do not usually enjoy the music they post, especially madpriest. Culture Choc is an exception with some wonderful Bach cantatas. Things however improved over the weekend when Counterlight posted for Grandmere Mimi 'We'll meet again' and Fr Scott posted the Los Angeles Gay Men's Choir singing the Anvil Chorus from Verdi's Il Trovatore.
By coincidence I had just returned from a concert by the Sydney Men's Choir who had also sung the Anvil chorus (but did not remove their shirts)
However I came home singing 'The Road to Mandalay' which is within my vocal range although I do not have the voice displayed here nor the even better rendition by one of the choristers on Sunday afternoon, a man who is intellectually challenged but certainly not vocally challenged.

Missed him

Our church St James, King Street has 3 services most Sundays. 7.45 Said Eucharist is far too early for me (1 would need to leave home about 5am). 9am Sung Eucharist suits me fine and I can be home at 1pm for lunch. 11am Choral Eucharist is beautiful but I prefer to keep it for special occasions (when it is often combined and at 10am). Thoroughly confused? :-)
Yesterday went at 9am and watching news last night got a shock when I saw our assistant priest. Then followed the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd and his wife. Several other views followed during the news. Kevin Rudd is a devout Anglican and the reporters seem to like interviewing him as he leaves church each Sunday. He grew up in Brisbane and naturally now lives in Canberra so he would not feel very at home in the usual Sydney church. He must have been in Sydney for the weekend and yeay, he chose a good inclusive non fundamentalist church.