What the papers said in the week ending 1 January 2022
The end of this week brings us to a New Year and some messages from Church leaders:
- The message from Pope Francis is to be respectful of women and not subject them to violence Pope calls for end to violence against women in new year message | Pope Francis | The Guardian
- The message from the Archbishop of Canterbury, delivered from Kew Gardens is in support of sensitivity and appreciation of the natural world around us The Archbishop of Canterbury’s New Year Message 2022 | The Archbishop of Canterbury
Both messages are refreshingly direct and relevant to the lives and concerns of older Christians, but applicable to people of all ages, all faiths and none.
The death and life of Bishop Desmond Tutu held faith firmly in the headlines as his profile as a world statesman and force for good was explored in depth When Desmond Tutu stood up for the rights of Palestinians, he could not be ignored | Chris McGreal | The Guardian
- Desmond Tutu’s devotion to the planet and to justice for all | Letters | The Guardian
- The Most Rev Desmond Tutu obituary | Desmond Tutu | The Guardian
Covid:
We struggle to find some certainty of what is actually happening in the pandemic and what are the most sensible actions to be taken by governments and individuals
- It looks to be quite clear that there are many new cases being registered in countries around the world Two years of coronavirus: how pandemic unfolded around the world | Coronavirus | The Guardian
- French daily Covid cases above 200,000 as Italy introduces stricter green pass | Coronavirus | The Guardian
- Yet in England a Canute doggedness has meant that freedom to socialise has remained unchecked No new Covid restrictions in England before new year, Boris Johnson says | Coronavirus | The Guardian
- Even as precautions are sponsored to anticipate additional hospital admissions Hospitals in England asked to look for up to 4,000 emergency Covid beds | NHS | The Guardian
Bricks and mortar may be found – at a financial cost – but where will the extra members of staff come from?
- There is a sense of services being run ragged: people have lost confidence that we are safe: One in four Britons ‘not confident NHS can care for them’, survey reveals | NHS | The Guardian
- Anxiety about care for those in need who are not in hospital is well-founded – but for many rationing is an established fact not something which might come Community care services could be rationed in England | NHS | The Guardian
It is heart-warming to read an appreciation of a live-in carer from the Philippines I didn’t want anyone else to look after Mum – until I realised what she wanted | Simon Hattenstone | The Guardian
- This may be an ideal solution for some people – but it is costly and will not fit everyone’s needs The value and cost of at-home care for older people | Letters | The Guardian
- For some the price of living through these Covid-dominated months has been burnout I thought I could plough through the pandemic without burning out. I was wrong | Christine Berry | The Guardian
- Others have found refuge in old ideas and old words: From respair to cacklefart – the joy of reclaiming long-lost positive words | Susie Dent | The Guardian
- There are reports which suggest that possession of a faith and involvement in religious activities improve resilience in this situation Frontiers | Spiritual Well-Being and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy | Psychiatry (frontiersin.org)
- ijerph-18-06381.pdf
There is reflection that elements of Roosevelt’s New Deal following the Wall Street Crash and recession might provide a blueprint for successful rebuilding from the Covid crisis: encourage unions, separate investment banks from commercial banks, raise taxes on the rich and raise taxes on unearned income. Have we the humility to learn from history? A post-Covid New Deal can restore economic hope in 2022 | Larry Elliott | The Guardian
- In practice the banks seem to believe we are doing fairly well FTSE 100 returns to pre-pandemic level as investors’ Omicron fears ease | FTSE | The Guardian
- Though there are some alternative readings: UK households warned of ‘year of the squeeze’ as cost of living soars | Household bills | The Guardian
- House prices shoot up in UK towns as ‘race for space’ continues apace | House prices | The Guardian
- Ikea hoists its prices and blames Covid supply pressures | Ikea | The Guardian
- Dismay as UK’s first specialist black bookshop forced to close | Books | The Guardian
For some, the new world is providing new interest in old technology: No contact required: Covid fuels vending machine revival in Japan | Japan | The Guardian
Other health matters:
Being overweight is something which affects the health and survival of many people. Greed is identified as the essential flaw in our society and this is greed in its most open form. Current plans to combat it are not felt likely to have an impact: Obesity bigger killer than smoking in England and Scotland – study | Obesity | The Guardian
Prostate cancer is common – 50,000 new case in the UK each year. Current techniques to identify it are not sensitive but better systems are being researched: UK prostate cancer screening programme ‘could be running in three years’ | Prostate cancer | The Guardian
Some individuals are constitutionally strong and can continue athletic pursuits even into their 90s: ‘Other surfers respect me’: the 92-year-old still riding waves in New Zealand | New Zealand | The Guardian
Other matters:
There are new rules for drivers – we are encouraged to check the new Highway Code – and in particular to practice the Dutch method of opening the offside doors: Two in three UK drivers unaware of planned Highway Code changes | Transport | The Guardian
Like us, Simon Jenkins is concerned about the progressive loss of churches. He is most concerned about the buildings, their history and social significance rather than the loss of faith, so he searches for alternative uses. Amongst these he wonders about their prospects as banks, pubs and post-offices Churches could double as banks, or even serve beer. We can’t leave them empty | Simon Jenkins | The Guardian
- He seems also to be Canute-afflicted – banks are not looking for new premises but looking for alternative uses for those they wish to close: UK bank branch numbers have almost halved since 2015, analysis finds | Banking | The Guardian
- Strongest argument for churches is as communal centres of care and worship – locally organised
There are encouraging stories of successful returns of lost or threatened species: Bison, beavers and bog moss: eight new species to look out for in the UK in 2022 | Biodiversity | The Guardian
Let 2022 be a year of open-minded optimism and respect for wisdom of the years
David Jolley
