Category: news

catholic, London, news1 Comment

pro-Pope letter to the Guardian

Michael McFarland Campbell

Following the letter to the Guardian signed by Stephen Fry and others, Laurence England is seeking signatures to the letter below… We, the undersigned, welcome His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI to the UK as both Head of State of the Holy See and as leader of the World’s one billion Catholics and to the Catholic community of the United Kingdom. We believe that his presence in our country comes at an urgent and pressing time, highlighting the trends in our country that serve only to denigrate human rights and human dignity. We support him wholeheartedly because in guarding the Deposit … Continue reading pro-Pope letter to the Guardian

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Birmingham, catholic, christian, John Henry Newman, news, Our Lady, Oxford3 Comments

State Visit of Sovereign Pontiff to UK: truly an historic opportunity not to be missed

Michael McFarland Campbell

This week sees a truly historic event taking place in the United Kingdom. For the first time since long before the Reformation National Apostasy, the Sovereign Pontiff will beatify an Englishman who is not a martyr. The Englishman in question is The Venerable (soon to be The Blessed) John Henry, Cardinal Newman, Cong. Orat.. For reference, the last Englishman so canonised was St Thomas of Hereford, canonised by John XXII in 1320. The election of His Eminence Joseph, Cardinal Ratzinger (as he then was) as Pope Benedict ⅩⅥ was met with great rejoicing in the Oxford Oratory. Little did we … Continue reading State Visit of Sovereign Pontiff to UK: truly an historic opportunity not to be missed

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iLink, London, Metro, news, NIRailways, Northern Ireland life, Regional Development, ticketing, Translink, Transport, Transport for London, UlsterbusLeave a comment

not just the posts but the trains and buses too…

Michael McFarland Campbell

This afternoon while I was visiting the capital, I had a cheque that needed to be trusted to the servants of Her Majesty’s Posts. I visited the Post Office next to St James’s Park Underground Station and came across another ‘customer experience improvement scheme’. Gone are the days of the good old British queue. Now we come in, press a button on a screen, be given a ticket with a number on it, and be asked to sit down on the ‘comfortable’ chairs to await service by one of the post office clerks. Upon being called by the machine to … Continue reading not just the posts but the trains and buses too…

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Birmingham, catholic, christian, John Henry Newman1 Comment

catholic herald apologises for ‘gypsy’ slur

Michael McFarland Campbell

Readers will remember my disgust at the use of the term ‘gypsy’ in the online article of the Catholic Herald late last month concerning travellers who were encamped near Birmingham in preparation for the visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI during which His Holiness will beatify The Venerable John Henry, Cardinal Newman, Cong. Orat.. Yesterday evening, I received the following response from the editor, Dear Mr Carchrie Campbell, Thanks for your email of August 27 and apologies for your slow reply. I’m not sure how the word “gypsy” got into the online report as we have long used the … Continue reading catholic herald apologises for ‘gypsy’ slur

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Art, catholic, christian, martyrs, Oxford, St Lawrence, sufferingLeave a comment

oxford shows off 16th century ‘video nasty’

Michael McFarland Campbell

I was fortunate to be on a guided tour of the Christ Church Picture Gallery, where my good friend John Whitehead was on duty, yesterday afternoon. Although it was free, and there were plenty of tourists in the city as a result of  St Giles’ Fair, I was the only person on the tour. This made for a very interesting afternoon, hearing about all sorts of paintings, and seeing some particularly gruesome images. Continue reading “oxford shows off 16th century ‘video nasty’”

Belfast, catholic, charitable, christian, gay, news, Northern Ireland life, politics, suffering1 Comment

love between two persons… is to be treasured and respected

Michael McFarland Campbell
The word ‘love’ must never be thought of as synonymous with the word ‘sex’. Love can take many forms…love between two persons, whether of the same sex or of a different sex, is to be treasured and respected. - Dom Basil, Cardinal Hume 1923 - 1999

It’s funny what you find on the internet about yourself…

This morning when I was surfing, I found two disturbing threads on two particularly disturbing forums. One was really a repost of the other.

To quote someone hiding behind the name of “Credo”, on one of the sites

and

the full text of the posts can be found here…

and also on this site posted by someone called Seosamh here… (warning only click if you really want to – it does not make for pleasant reading) Continue reading “love between two persons… is to be treasured and respected”

charitable, news, politics, poverty1 Comment

winter fuel payment – not a solution, but a temporary fix

Michael McFarland Campbell

With the news that HM Government in the United Kingdom is looking at slashing the Winter Fuel payments to those over 60 years of age, there has been quite a lot of comment on this proposal*.

Whilst reading Caron’s Musings having met her and her daughter Anna (who was signed up to the Liberal Democrats by me at the weekend), I remembered that Trevor Lunn MLA had done something about this inequality back in 2008. I know, I designed the logo that was used. Continue reading “winter fuel payment – not a solution, but a temporary fix”

Belfast, news, Transport, Uncategorized2 Comments

#operationevacuate of @stephenpglenn not going quite according to plan – #keygate

Michael McFarland Campbell

We’re finally on the Stenaline HSS between Belfast and Stranraer on the way to Bathgate to transport the former Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Linlithgow and East Falkirk (Stephen Glenn) back to his hometown of Bangor (County Down).

However, getting here has not been without some drama. First off, Stephen had difficulty in getting the van booked. Then when he had it booked, he arrived back in Aldergrove and almost as soon as he landed back on Irish soil his mobile telephonic device sounded – a number he did not recognise – and he was asked if that was “Michael Campbell”. Continue reading “#operationevacuate of @stephenpglenn not going quite according to plan – #keygate”

Belfast, news, Northern Ireland life, Regional Development, TransportLeave a comment

well they do say things come in threes…

Michael McFarland Campbell
The failure of ticketing machines hopefully will be sorted in the weeks to come.

Yesterday I had to make several different journeys using Translink services. I travelled from the Mater Hospital into Belfast city centre, then up to near Queen’s University and back, back home, and finally by train to Ballymena.

Fortunately, I could telephone the Translink callcentre to get the information that I would normally have obtained from the website – as it was the first of the failures. Continue reading “well they do say things come in threes…”

HIV, newsLeave a comment

Cure for HIV infection must now be major scientific priority, Vienna AIDS conference hears

hivblogger

A cure for HIV infection is scientifically feasible and increasingly necessary, but the goal requires focus and funding, said Sharon Lewin of Monash University in Melbourne, in a keynote address at the opening session of the AIDS 2010 conference and at a preceding workshop organised by the International AIDS Society (IAS).

Antiretroviral therapy has dramatically reduced illness and increased survival, but people with HIV still do not achieve normal life expectancy relative to the general population, Lewin said. In addition, a growing body of evidence indicates that even very low-level virus contributes to a number of health problems. Continue reading “Cure for HIV infection must now be major scientific priority, Vienna AIDS conference hears”