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Perry's avatar

As someone from Sheffield, Aston to be precise, I object to its characterisation in this episode.

For one it has its own Catholic Diocese (Hallam) with a lovely Cathedral of St Marie. It has a great Lady Chapel paid for by members of the exiled Polish airforce during the war. It also has a very fine chapel to the guardian angels.

It is also one of the greenest cities in the UK and has two quality universities. There are also a number of great museums such as Kelham island and Magna which are fun for all the family. It has an indoor tropical garden known as the winter gardens. It also hosts the snooker world championships each year. It hosts two rather good football teams and has the best ice hockey team on the UK. A number of quality films are set there such as the dark comedy ‘Four Lions’ and the light comedy ‘The Full Monty’.

The transport in the city is varied and efficient with regular bus services and a tram. The tram is particularly fun as it runs on the road for some sections allowing you to recreate your Harry Potter fantasies as tram chases you down. Also if you feel the need to go to London, Sheffield is on the East Coast Mainline so you can get there in less than two hours by high speed Azuma train. The price a bevs is also very low being £1.50 for a triple vodka mixer in the ‘Corporation’ night club (locally known as Corp).

Historically speaking it is also a rich place. Before steel making the city was famous for cutlery making. An artisan stole the process of making cheap steel from the French by pretending to be a poor homeless man and asking to warm himself by the furnace. At which point he watching how they did it and then brought it back to his native Sheffield. Cutlery became such a big business in Sheffield that the Master Cutler had almost as much power as the mayor. The crossed arrows of the cutlers also made it into the coat of arms for the city.

Finally the city itself is built on seven hills much like the beloved Eternal city. Thus it rightly deserves the title of Fourth Rome.

In summary the above points should make it perfectly clear why Sheffield is in fact a magical place and that Ed’s view of said place is coloured but a southern prejudice. I would suggest a game of Sheffield true or false next week to educate Ed.

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James Kabala's avatar

Well, Pittsburgh and Cleveland (mentioned by Ed as comparisons) have also made comebacks in recent years.

The game did a founder a bit on the unpredictability of cities vs. metro areas. Boston and Atlanta and Miami are all more true metropolises than Columbus or Fort Worth (fine cities though those may be).

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JD Flynn's avatar

ok. I'll almost certainly make him play that.

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Ed. Condon's avatar

I’ll play that game. And happily.

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cunha_marcos's avatar

Mr. Condon reads comments after all!

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James Kabala's avatar

When did Ed start to admit where he lives? It used to be treated as a big secret.

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Phil H's avatar

Hi Ed and JD. Some time ago I wondered what ever happened to the Baltimore plenary councils of the 19th century, and dug into the canon law code, finding out about "provincial councils." I tend to agree, those would be a neat idea. The idea of bishops legislating, whether in their dioceses or in councils would highlight the fact they are something other than CEOs of branch subsidiaries of the Roman Catholic Church, Inc, or even its US division (the USCCB).

I was overjoyed that my Columbus Ohio was called out as a bigger city than Boston. Of course, while Boston has an archbishop (and historically is a cardinational see), Columbus has to make do with a "mere" bishop! Maybe that needs fixed? 🙂

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JD Flynn's avatar

A true Columbus sentence construction: "Maybe that needs fixed" was the perfect way to end this excellent comment.

I have always been fascinated by the Ohio-centralized verb+passive participle construction, and I am glad you used it to express some hometown pride:

https://ygdp.yale.edu/phenomena/needs-washed

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Phil H's avatar

LOL! Thanks JD! I had no idea that was a regional construction.

After posting that last night, I realized what I was trying to say is that bishops are rulers in their own right, not corporate managers. Rulers rule, and one way of doing so is passing laws.

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Michael Becker's avatar

Can we see JD’s jacket in the show notes please?

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Alan's avatar

Ed stated the Apostolic Signatura has upheld a parent's right to request confirmation for their child at age seven. Where would I find that decision?

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Barwick's avatar

The 40oz phase is critical for growth. I also waited to start drinking as an adult. ND was the proving ground.

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Sue Korlan's avatar

The reason France is considered the oldest daughter of the Church is that St. Denis the Areopagite, St. Paul's disciple in Athens, after writing those wonderful spiritual books, became the first Bishop of Paris where, after he was decapitated, he carried his head to the place where the Monastery of St. Denis now stands.

Modern historians now believe those were three different people, but in the 16th centuries only those suspected of heresy doubted they were the same men. The celebration of the Mass is described in the third chapter of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchies originally attributed to this multi-saint saint. Therefore the ceremony of the Mass came indirectly from St. Paul, whose disciple St. Denis was, and was not a modern invention. Those who opposed the Mass obviously didn't believe in this unified saint. But at any rate, France is the oldest daughter of the Church because the first Bishop of Paris was the immediate disciple of St. Paul

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Mark McGowan's avatar

Whether they are three separate people or just one, I’d still like to know more about the one who carried his own head to the site of the monastery.

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Sue Korlan's avatar

St. Denis the first Bishop of Paris.

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Bridget's avatar

I quit listening to podcasts during Lent (catching up now) to spend time learning ancient Greek, and the sponsor for a podcast in Lent is a class in ancient Greek... I guess I will be going down that rabbit hole.

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