December 2019
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December 2019 December 2019 FREE! Peace on earth Snailbeach District News - Issue 364 Page 1 December 2019 Get the latest from us online www.snailbeachdistrictnews.co.uk Notes from December The Editor CONTENTS Rather than my usual ramblings I’ve published this for Christmas instead. A piece by journalist David All our usual features PLUS: Judson. “Peace on earth, goodwill to men”: Theft in the village As a holiday to be celebrated around the Some disturbing news from world towards the end of this month, John’s shop Page 3 Christmas is certainly overwrought. But put aside the trappings and Readers greetings the appeals to consume, I still like the essential message that will find Personalised Christmas greetings its place in many a service this Christmas: “Peace on Earth, goodwill from the villages Page 5 toward men.” Sudoku Like everything else associated with this holiday, the traditional Some really hard ones from the ovation has its detractors. In the original Latin, “et in terra pax editor to keep you amused until hominibus, bonae voluntatis,” the last noun is not necessarily the New Year! Page 7 masculine. But some still see sexism. There is also a debate about how this was translated from the Bible’s Book of Luke, first written in Dawdle or Dash Greek. What will you be doing on Christmas is, and always will be, a controversial workinprogress. But Boxing Day? Dashing or still this Christmas, the holiday of lights, trees and gifts will be dawdling? Details Page 11 celebrated by billions. Perhaps by more nonChristians than those An old man’s fancy... whose prophet was born two millennia ago. Geoff Sproson tells of his fancies In Japan, some 54 percent of the population celebrates Christmas in the autumn of his years in the although less than 2 percent of the population is Christian. It’s a major Sammy Maill column Page 13 deal in Mumbai and other major Indian cities, somehow seamlessly Silly anagrams blending in with the many deities of that complex nation. What’s an anagram of “mother While some nonChristians lament the rise of this “Christian” event in inlaw”? Find out on Page 17 their lands, it’s worth remembering that many a serious Christian has condemned the holiday, too. For them the problem is that the Zippy Sarah particular date allegedly got its start as the putative birthday of a Our very own Sarah Jones Roman god. Whether this was “Invictus,” or “Sol,” or “Mithras” is experiences the fastest zip wire another debate. There is also a case made that December 25th got its in the world Pages 20 & 21 start honouring the birth of a provincial Syrian deity. There is also the Get a move on... matter that “Mithras” was not Roman but a Persian god, the deity of Liz Knowles, our climate activist, the mysterious religion “Mithraism.” The religion disappeared in the urges government to just get on fourth century, not long after St. Nicholas, the “Bishop of Myra,” was with it Page 27 getting busy with the good works that led to his canonization and who The pantomime quiz eventually became “Santa Claus” How well do you know your Before he became Pope Benedict XVI, thenCardinal Joseph Ratzinger, pantomimes? Page 29 weighed into this perilous discussion. He concluded that the sacred date has nothing to do with Romans, Persians or Syrian provinces. No, he argued, the date of December 25th was determined by calculating nine months beyond March 25th, regarded as the day of Jesus’ conception which is celebrated by the Feast of the Annunciation. I’ll leave it at that. Yes, Christmas is a holiday that provokes some Patrick Marks ambivalence. But whatever this holiday’s origins, however it was [email protected] carried down, and however you acknowledge it, there can be no ambivalence about one traditional paean to Christmas: 01743 790 049 “Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men.” snailbeachdistrictnews.co.uk Snailbeach District News - Issue 364 Page 2 December 2019 John’s shop Newsbrief We’ve received some disturbing news from John the shop: “In the early hours of Oct 26th at 01.15 two cars More on climate change pulled up outside my shop; one light in colour, It would appear that our articles discussing possibly silver or white and probably a Ford Focus, climate change from, amongst others, Liz Knowles, the other dark and resembling a Renault Megane. Philip Dunne MP and Simon Cooter over the last Two large young men, all prepared in ‘hoodies’ few months have been well received locally with and gloves, loaded 10 bags of coal, 8 bags of logs, many people telling me just how pleased they are 2 cases of Coke Zero and 2 pumpkins into the 2 that the SDN is giving this globally important topic cars and drove away without leaving any the oxygen of publicity that it so dearly needs. payment. We recently received the following letter from One of the young men was wearing a red check Lorraine Gawlik that suggests action at a very local shirt, the other revealed a large ‘bum crack’ when level: he bent down. “How timely that Liz Knowles should raise our local I was away for the weekend, probably a awareness about the catastrophic effects of the coincidence, but not for sure. Anyone with any climate and ecological breakdown. (SDN October ideas please let me know. 2019). It is not something we can ignore and it is John the shop.” not going to go away. St. Luke Humans have caused irreversible climate change. Whilst most of us are trying our hardest to Memory Tree minimise our carbon footprint by recycling, There will be a memory reducing our meat consumption, upgrading our tree placed in St.Luke’s homes with extra insulation, using the bus instead Church, Snailbeach at of the car etc., what we do, whilst highly the beginning of commendable, will never be enough to achieve the December 2019 for anyone who wishes to target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050. This can only be done by halving carbon remember a loved one at this festive time of emissions by 2030 and achieving near zero net year. emissions by 2050. (From the Intergovernmental A donation of five pounds will secure you a Panel on Climate Change Report October 2018). ‘memory wish’. We need, not only our governments to declare All monies raised will be for St.Luke’s climate emergencies and to urgently implement Snailbeach, together with a donation to the policies to this end but also our local authorities SDN. and town and parish councils. Thankfully St. Luke’s wishes everyone a very happy Shropshire Council is one of those who have so Christmas. declared but our own parish council, Worthen with Shelve, also has a duty to declare a climate Attention! emergency, develop a strategy to limit the Please remember that the SDN negative impacts of climate breakdown and take does not publish a January edition. steps to plan towards becoming carbon neutral by Our next edition will be in 2030 as other town and parish councils have done February 2020. Our deadline for including Shrewsbury, Bishop’s Castle, Clun with arranged submissions will be Chapel Lawn, Kington, Knighton, Leominster Ludlow, Oswestry, and Clunbury. January 20th. Unsolicited We are inviting local supporters to meet together submissions will be dealt with on a as an ad hoc group to primarily develop a ‘first come, first served’ basis, so get resolution to present to Worthen with Shelve your copy in as soon as you can to Parish Council and to discuss together how to avoid disappointment! Thanks. carry this forward with them as they plan a strategy. Who will help save our precious planet? snailbeachdistrictnews.co.uk Contact Lorraine Gawlik for latest updates from 01743 791178 Shropshire Council email: [email protected] “ Snailbeach District News - Issue 364 Page 3 December 2019 Harry Coyle PHIL GRIFFITHS Local Plumber Landscaping Lawns, Hedges, Hardscaping, Decking, Slabs & Fencing Tap Replacement and Plumbing [email protected] Repairs Undertaken Mob1. 07484 205 925 New Taps Supplied and Fitted Mob2. 07866 007 428 Home Choose Service HOPE VALLEY RADIO Established 35 years 01743 791 379 Prompt and Professional 07811 449 039 Pontesbury based * TWO WAY RADIO SALES & HIRE Tel: 01743 790046 TV AERIALS Mobile: 07970 010148 SATELLITE DISHES CCTV SYSTEMS REPAIRS SUPPLIED AND INSTALLED 3, STATION ROAD MINSTERLEY TUESDAY - 9 TO 3 (BARBER 2 TO 8 - WALK IN SERVICE) A VERY MERRY WEDNESDAY - 9 TO 4 CHRISTMAS FROM THURSDAY - 9 TO 9 JENNY, STACEY & FRIDAY - 9 TO 5 MICHELLE SATURDAY - BY APPOINTMENT Telephone: 01743 792 548 for an appointment - or just drop in! Snailbeach District News - Issue 364 Page 4 Wishing all family and friends and Christmas Wishes December 2019 readers of the SDN a to all family, friends and neighbours from very Merry Christmas Joan & George Evans and a Happy New Year. Carol & We are donating to Graham McMillan would like to wish Severn Hospice instead wish Derekall our &friends Corinne and of sending cards family, friends and neighbours a very Marie and Colin Happy Christmas and neighbours a Edwards a Healthy New Year Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year. Instead Sue, Nigel HappyChristmas NewMerry Year & of sending and Tom wish all Christmas cards from Doug and of our villagers Margaret Boulter we have made a a Happy donation to the Christmas and a Severn Hospice Prosperous New Merry Christmas and a Year very happy New Year to all our friends and neighbours Mike Pam and John Davies wish all friends and Audrey Pugh xx and neighbours a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Geoff and Phil & Sue Sproson send Lara from all readers of the Stiperstonesthe A.