new blog: Work of my Own Fiction

My colleague Karen Burke has entered the world of blogging!

Check it out at: http://workofmyownfiction.blogspot.com/

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Latest Methodist podcast

Latest podcast from the wonderful Methodist media team, featuring Tom Quenet talking to Karen Burke about revival in the Colombian Methodist Church. Revd Stephen Poxon talks to me about the realities of street life for Children in Bangladesh. Also, Father Taddy, a Benedictine monk from Belgium, dropped by to share his thoughts on Methodist worship in England...

http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.webradio

Also, Karen's first interviews to be broadcast - hurrah!

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Stable masculinity?!?

A rather good article on the Interface regarding the Vatican's plans for the psychological screening of ministerial candidates...

http://www.theinterface.org.uk/?q=node/203

I wonder who wrote it?

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Fantastic media coverage for the Dawkins story...

Yesterday, the Methodist Church issued a press release welcoming news of Richard Dawkins' 'atheist bus' campaign. We wanted to take a different approach, thanking Richard for his continued interest in God and for getting people talking about the big issues of life.

You can check out the press release here: http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.newsDetail&newsid=295

We got lots of good media coverage from this, thanks to the hard work of the CCEA cluster and our Senior Leaders. Jenny Ellis did a turn on Premier Radio, Christine Elloitt appeared on London Tonight (ITV) and I was on BBC London. In addition, we got great coverage online and in the newspapers - check out the links below...

Thanks again to everyone for their hard work and creativity,

Anna

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3236701/Atheist-buses-ready-to-roll-across-country-after-making-31000-in-a-day.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1839299.ece

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/oct/22/religion-atheist-dawkins-god

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/7811

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/methodists.see.opportunity.in.dawkins.no.god.bus.slogans/21703.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7681914.stm

http://www.itvlocal.com/london/news/?void=248598

Methodist Church thanks Richard Dawkins for getting God onto London buses

THE METHODIST CHURCH

NEWS RELEASE

21 October 2008

Methodist Church thanks Richard Dawkins for getting God onto London buses

Dawkins thanked for encouraging a ‘continued interest in God’

The British Methodist Church has welcomed news that Professor Richard Dawkins is to fund an advertising campaign on London buses despite its slogan ‘There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life’.

Revd Jenny Ellis, Spirituality and Discipleship Officer, said; ‘We are grateful to Richard for his continued interest in God and for encouraging people to think about these issues. This campaign will be a good thing if it gets people to engage with the deepest questions of life.’

Responding to Dawkins’ comment that ‘thinking is anathema to religion’, Jenny said; ‘As Christians, we respond to Jesus’ call to love God with our minds as well as our hearts, souls and strength. Christianity is for people who aren’t afraid to think about life and meaning. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, believed that no one should be saved from the trouble of thinking because that is the path to understanding God.’

http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.newsDetail&newsid=295

Oh look, Catholic men dictating what women must do with their bodies...Again

Catholic governors refuse to allow girls to have cervical cancer jabs at school

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article4821368.ece

To fair, though, national Catholic institutions have supported the cervical cancer jab, and for that I think they should be applauded.

xxx

badgerbadgerbadgerbadger...

The reasoning behind this picture is a bit of a long story, but basically has to do with people urging me to 'badger the media' to pay attention to Methodist news stories. ho hum....

For more joyful pictures like this, see the ICHC site.

Why I am 85% male

Toby has introduced me to a rather good site that determines your gender by checking your web browser history.

Apparently, the fact that I look at the websites for The Times, The Guardian, Amazon and Google fairly frequently makes me a boy.

I wonder what hubby will make of this....

Richard Dawkins, the naive professor

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/libby_purves/article4474112.ece

Fantastic article by Libby Purves. Encourages me that I'm not the only one annoyed by this pseudo- Either/Or Dawkins is trying to present. Read it and it'll all make sense....

Especially like the bit about bunny-hugging.

xxx

Lent

Well, we're a week and a half in and things seemed to be going fairly smoothly on the old Buy Less: Live More front.

Until of course I ran out of face wash and my nice shampoo. I have other face wash and other shampoo but nothing as good or as nice. Yes, I am vain. I admit it. But one thing I'm very conscious of is my bad skin and, whether or not they actually make a difference, posh toiletries make me feel better about myself. I suppose they sell me the hope that if I use them in the right way, and for long enough, they'll make me look better. I know it's a vain hope, but I'm sure I'm not the only victim of the cosmetics marketing machine.

But for the rest of Lent I'll be using my skanky cheap shampoo and rifling through my samples for decent face wash (you know those samples you get in magazines? I'm the kind of tragic person that collects them).

So, how important is looking and feeling good? Are there better ways to boost one's self esteem?

Your thoughts please...

xxx

What the hell am I going on about? Check out www.buylesslivemore.org.uk and www.nonewshoes.blogspot.com for info.

As I always suspected...

Feminism and romantic love make very happy bedfellows
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2211069,00.html

Hurrah!

Never doubted it.

For me, feminism is all about self respect and respect for others - and this article seems to support that;

'What the Rutgers researchers actually found was that, in a survey of college students and older adults, all in heterosexual relationships, men paired with feminist partners reported greater relationship stability and sexual satisfaction. In addition, there was consistent evidence that male feminist partners were healthier for women's relationships, while there was scant evidence that women's feminism created conflict in liaisons.'

xxx

http://www.lolcatbible.com

Crazy.

Potentially blasphemous.

But complete genius.

http://www.lolcatbible.com

Ban on hunts with dogs 'violates human rights'

Ban on hunts with dogs 'violates human rights'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/11/nhunt111.xml
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Stories like this make me really angry.

How - how - is not permitting someone to chase, harass and violently murder another creature a violation of their human rights???!

So there's a human right to be inhumane now, is there?

Bloody idiots.

Tim Minchin - Not Perfect

Love tbis song...

Tim Minchin - Hallelujah

The best headline I have ever seen. Ever

Cannibal tribe apologises for eating Methodists

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/16/wpapua116.xml

Just shows they had great taste...

Mark Steel: Atheists and believers have got religion wrong

Not sure I agree with all of it, but it's a thought-provoking article nonetheless...

There's a modern brand of militant atheist that can appear horribly smug and superior
http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_m_z/mark_steel/article2864172.ece

The Dawkins Delusion...

Dominic Lawson: Why Richard Dawkins is right on alternative medicine - but not when it comes to religion
http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_a_l/dominic_lawson/article2851412.ece

Here is the day...

Here is the day,
travelling into my eyes
at the speed of light,
stopping for nothing, no one.
My mind runs.
My time runs out.

Here is your day.
Take it.
you'll have to be quick,
quicker than the speed of light.
From here on
I'll be taking it back,
every hour, minute, second.

By the end of your day
I will have taken it all back for myself.

Here is the day.
Quick
God
quick.

Take it. It's yours.
__

Martin Wroe
When You Haven't Got a Prayer

how many reasons do we need?

A sad story that highlights the need for care, understanding and specialist support for those with autism spectrum disorders:

Who is to blame for our son's death?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2007/07/30/hasper130.xml&page=1