"All The News That's Fit For Class"

All,

A couple of news stories that I thought might interest you. The first two are just hilarious. The third is of interest to our discussion of Marx (or for anyone who thinks that economics is sexy).

First, for those of you who might have been totally disturbed by the new liberal changes taking place in your local Anglican Diocese, the new See has offered you an out. As long as accepting gays and female priests infuriates you enough to disregard the entire philosophical and religious heritage of the Reformation, the Vatican assures you--in a move it swears is neither a power grab nor opportunistic in any way--that it will make concessions to ease your admission into the Communion. Sound too good to be true? Enjoy.

Second, there are already concerns amongst those who study the Church that this could cause problems. After all, one of the concessions is that if you are an Anglican priest, but you are married, no problem! Just bring your wife and we'll confirm your ordination as a Catholic priest (though you can't be a bishop for some reason). Some are concerned that this could lead to resentment or confusion amongst those of the Cloth, as it seems to disregard the ideological basis in favor of a practical opportunity as much as anything else. (NB: The ideological basis which at first required priests to marry, then condoned marriage, was only transformed into mandatory celibacy in the 11th century--interestingly enough, in favor of practical considerations as much as anything else.) So what now?

Third, American Public Media's show Marketplace had an interesting report on a new system for measuring poverty in the united states. It argues that the old system is antiquated and anachronistic, as it was developed over four decades ago and has not undergone any significant change in spite of obvious differences between today's marketplace and that of yesteryear. The interview should interest economists and readers of Marx's Gotha Program alike, as it is directly relevant to his critiques.

Cheers,

-W.