Interesting yet unsurprising article in the Leader today. A Rochester, NH Espiscopal parish closes its doors after most of its parishoners leave en masse. Apparently the exodus has been going on for years. First they lost people because the Book of Common Prayer was changed. Then they lost more because of the introduction of female priests. Now the final nail in the coffin came with the Bishop Robinson consecration. Funny how we've all been told that these three things are signs of inclusion, positive change, and making the church relevant to modern life. Yet with "liberalization" entire clumps of people are alienated and find other churches. Midwest Conservative Journal is also on the case.

Interesting note via Relapsed Catholic ( via Metaphilm and the New York Times) about the odd but promising popularity of G. K. Chesterton with young people. Apparently the Chesterton show on EWTN, the Catholic cable station, is one of their big hits with kids. I dearly hope it is true.

I love (read: loathe) the language used in this story. Apparently one British school is abolishing homework for its 12 year old students.

Dr Hazlewood says he wants to make schooling more "relevant to life in the 21st century".

He wants to "get away from the imposition of homework, a product of 20th century education" and allow children to embrace their 21st century "learning journey".

Weeeeeeee! I'm on a learning journey!

They've also obliterated "subject learning" for something called "crosscurricular subjects."

But this one is the clincher:

Dr Hazlewood's radical approach is based on a scheme devised by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), which rejects the notion that a teacher's job is to transmit a body of knowledge to pupils.

Teachers are not there to transmit knowledge, only to facilitate the students on their learning journey. Wake me up. I'm in a nightmare.

In other news, the inmates are now in charge of the asylum, and the foxes have taken over the hen house.