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James Germain's avatar

Since you commented on it:

It seems Robinette is the maiden name of Joe Biden's paternal grandmother.

Joe Biden Sr was given it has a middle name and he passed it on to our commander in chief Joe Biden Jr.

And now you know the rest of the story.

Anne Sommer's avatar

And the town of Joe’s first marriage is pronounced “skinny atlas”. Aren’t New York names fun?

Meg Schreiber's avatar

Another classic podcast! Love it.

Rebecca R.'s avatar

I want to hear more of JD’s thoughts on Moana and its Christology! Definitely the best Disney movie of the last decade.

Alicia - In Response's avatar

Yeah I would be interested to hear- I liked Moana but I mean it’s explicitly pagan, isn’t it..?

Nicole's avatar

“Shiny” is quite the scene and song.

Kevin M. James's avatar

Hey now…some members of Take That may not have been notable musicians (Wikipedia, for instance, describes two of them as “serving primarily as dancers”), but there was also Robbie Williams, who went on to become one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

(And not without reason—the man has considerable talents, whether or not one appreciates or approves of his body of work on aesthetic or moral grounds. And I should hope most anybody could derive enjoyment from his what-if-I-could-be-a-member-of-the-Rat-Pack album, “Swing While You’re Winning”.)

Samuel Voss's avatar

Is it possible that they could've later had the union convalidated?

Alicia - In Response's avatar

Well I had to clutch my pearls for a minute when Ed was seeming to praise the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber (but indeed he was merely speaking of cultural reach…?) but either way they know their fans and this Saint Paulite was thoroughly delighted by this weeks conversation and all its belaboring. I hadn’t heard about the Agatha Christie letter (or it’s modern equivalent) before- very interesting! I do think it is at least clear that there is a non-minuscule portion of westerners of all stripes truly lamenting the loss of any and all tradition amidst the maelstrom of modernity, and who see the Catholic Church as one of the few remaining institutions that might hold onto it. It sounds a little treacherous to say so on this 4th of July (God Bless America!), but I think the British monarchy is another, which is why so many people, even non-Brits, are entranced by things like the recent royal coronation (notably also a religious ceremony). Whatever people’s politics or beliefs, it is sad for many to see every beautiful tie to the past severed. And as to the first half of the show: there have been many reminders to me this past week that I need to up my prayers for our President and for any future leaders of our country..,And so I shall! Happy Independence Day, friends!

Sue Korlan's avatar

I come from Kentucky where many of the Catholics were English. Fields, for example. In the early days of this country Maryland was founded by Catholics who wished to escape the anti-Catholic laws of England. Pennsylvania was the other state which allowed practicing English Catholics to live there. So I wouldn't say Stevenson was necessarily Protestant.

Annie's avatar

Surprised that there was no “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”/ Evita discussion regarding ALW and Pope Francis!

Sofi Starnes's avatar

Fun program. Thank you. I do need to clarify a point: the Philippines celebrates its Independence Day on June 12, in commemoration of having declared itself independent from Spain on that day in 1898, with an established government and constitution. After the United States took over, the Philippines lost that independence and regained it, from the United States on July 4, 1946. Today July 4 is celebrated as Philippine-American Friendship Day. Again, thanks.

Narblete's avatar

“Out west, whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting over.” Mark Twain

Christy Isinger's avatar

I came here for the UN chapel photo!

Grace Beumler's avatar

Ed is so wrong about the cultural influence of Lin Manuel Miranda. His work, like it or not, is so widely culturally known.

JD Flynn's avatar

Yeah, so so wrong.

Kevin M. James's avatar

He's big enough to have attracted all manner of backlash from jealousy and overexposure. That's a major marker of influence right there.

Pat's avatar

I think a lot of "Eucharistic problems" could be solved by focusing on marriage. We need to make a stronger emphasis on the importance of valid marriages when it comes to co-habiting, same sex relationships, gender confusion, etc. I think we'll see that controversies surrounding abortion will take care of themselves.

Colleen's avatar

Ed, I lived in Britain for a few years. They DO eat corn there…. on pizza!

Kevin M. James's avatar

Also, when your combo pizza including sweet corn arrives, they may look at you funny if you just grab a slice with your hands, rather than eating it with knife and fork like the rest of the folks in the restaurant.

(Or at least that was my experience in Scotland, over a quarter-century ago now.)