Happy Links

Originally posted to Chez VH, January 18, 2011 -

Effort to Restore Children's Play Gains Momentum

Wow, this is exactly what I needed to read this morning. Society's conventions put SO much pressure on us to NOT "be" what's described in the article. Thanks for the link, Karen! :)

Audio Liturgy of the Hours Podcast

I am also delighted to have stumbled upon these free audio downloads of the Liturgy of the Hours on my friend Robert's blog, Classic Catholic. I have a blind sister-in-law who's been looking for a good audio of this for years.

And as an aside (because I wasn't actively blogging when this came up) some might find it useful to know that Apple's iPod has a built-in text-reading option for the blind. In an age in which the visually impaired population is seriously under-served (there are only a handful of DVDs that offer descriptive video for the blind, while close-captioning for the hearing impaired is practically ubiquitous), it is refreshing to see this available as a normal feature rather than a special purchase. Kudos to Apple!

More info about these accessibility features:

Apple's Accessibility Page (check out the VoiceOver section)
Accessibility For iPhone And iPod touch: A Blind User's Review

Okay, and speaking of audios, we bought Gus this new dramatized audio New Testament for Christmas and we're all enjoying it very much. It's beautifully-performed (with A list actors like Sean Astin, Neal McDonough, John Rhys-Davies and Julia Ormond) and unabridged along with being a great Catholic translation (RSV-CE, sometimes known as the Ignatius Bible). I hope to have a review up a Love2learn in the next few days. In the meantime, here's the link:

Truth and Life Dramatized Audio Bible

Also available from Ignatius Press in a special package that includes a bonus CD from Steve Ray.

Sample audio clips are available on both websites listed above.

Nourishing Culture...

I believe that in these multiple forms of popular piety lies hidden the answer to a question that is sometimes raised concerning the significance of such manifestations of local tradition. The answer is simple: when hearts are united, the result is a great force for good. To be rooted in what is ancient, strong, profound, and, at the same time, dear to the heart, gives an extraordinary interior energy. If this rootedness is then joined by a bold and strong intellectual dimension, there is no need to fear for the future of the faith or the prospect for human relationships within the nation. Amid the rich humus of tradition, in fact, culture is nourished and this unites the citizens, enabling them to live together as a great family, sustaining and strengthening their convictions. Our great task, especially today, in the age of so-called globalization, is to cultivate sound traditions so as to promote a bold consensus in thought and imagination, an openness toward the future and at the same time an affectionate respect for the past. It is a past that endures in human hearts in the form of ancient words, ancient signs, memories, and customs inherited from previous generations.

Pope John Paul II, Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way

Love and Think...

Today much imagination is needed if we are to learn how to speak about the faith and about life's most important questions. It requires people who know how to love and how to think, because the imagination lives on love and on thought, as well as nourishing our thinking and enkindling our love.

Pope John Paul II, Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way

This is the first full-length audio book I'm listening to on my iPod and it's really great! Unfortunately the book's predecessor , Gift and Mystery, (which I haven't read yet) doesn't seem to be available from audible.com.