10 Tools for Lifelong Learners

Do your New Year resolutions include the usual "self-improvement resolutions"? If so, here's a list of free educational resources and start planning! There are free audio book classics, language lessons, university lectures, film libraries and more.

Bought the clothing – now get the franchise!

From the Rohan website: Lots of us have spent many happy hours in Rohan Shops, some of us may have dreamed of owning our own.

Interested? Please click the link & register your interest prior to the official launch of the Rohan franchise opportunity in January 2010.

Virtual book: Handel’s Messiah

For many people, listening to Handel's Messiah is part of their Christmas ritual. The British Library has recently added Handel’s Messiah (from the draft score of the composer’s most famous work), using the BL's 'Turning the Pages™' system to view great books and magnify the details.

Happy Christmas!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

The USB-heated mouse

Feeling the cold?

Stay warm while you surf the web with a USB-heated mouse!

Karaoke Carols

The Rejesus site has a new front page and additional content for Christmas. This includes Karaoke Carols: enjoy a carol service in the comfort of your own computer screen with a choice of 10 karaoke carols.

Interactive guide to Doctor Who and his regenerations‏

The Guardian has published a complete interactive guide to Doctor Who and his regenerations. As we prepare for the departure of David Tennant and the arrival of Matt Smith as the 11th incarnation of the Doctor, it looks back at how his predecessors met their fates.

Researchers report big drop in Christian adherence in UK

The Church Times reports that a new study suggests that belief in God in the UK continues to lag a long way behind the United States. In the US, 61 per cent of those surveyed said that they had “no doubt” that God existed; in the UK, the percentage was just 17. In the US, just four per cent said that they were not religious at all: they don’t believe in God, attend religious services, or even identify with a reli­gion; in the UK the percentage was 31.

The figures come in a paper by David Voas and Rodney Ling, to be published in British Social Attitudes: The 26th report, to be released on 27 January. The US figures are based on the American General Social Survey 2008; the UK ones come from the 2008 British Social Attitudes survey, which interviewed 4486 people.

Open University Christianity survey

In the 2001 Census, 71.6% of people in the UK described themselves as Christians, but only about 15% of these said they belonged to, or were active members of, a church.

The Open University has developed an on-line survey which has the objective of improving understanding of what it means to be a Christian without a church. Hopefully, we will soon have a better idea of what people mean nowadays when they describe themselves as Christian.

You can share your views, and learn about other people, in this anonymous survey:
http://www.open2.net/survey/history_of_christianity/embed.html

The Nativity Play

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

International Tea Day

Today is International Tea Day - please ask the top 5 British tea brands to go Fairtrade and make every cuppa a fair cuppa.

The Make It Fair website has now launched - check out http://www.makeitfair.org.uk/ to find out about our new tea campaign!

Guardian guide to freebies

Why waste your hard-earned cash when people are queuing up to give you stuff for nothing, says Huma Qureshi in The Guardian's guide to freebies.

Is cyberchurch a viable option for Christians?

EN asks if if an exclusively online church is a viable option for Christians? The article is written in the context of a rapidly growing movement promoting the idea of an exclusively online church. The Church of England and the Methodist Church have already launched versions of online church, and in March of this year a group committed to the development of online churches met in London.

Read the full article Cyberchurch - the future church? which addresses some concerns about online-only and emphasises the importance of the local church and the necessity for all Christians to belong to a local church.

The Wave: march and pray for climate justice

March and pray for climate justice on Saturday 5 December, in London, as part of The Wave. The Wave is organised by the Stop Climate Chaos coalition ahead of the crucial UN climate summit in Copenhagen, and tens of thousands of people from all walks of life are expected to flow through the streets of London to demonstrate their support for a safe climate future for all. Paricipants are asked to wear blue or bring blue banners to join the blue wave.

There will be a church service at 11am, at which Archbishops Rowan Williams and Vincent Nichols will be speaking. This will be followed by a fun and peaceful march around the Thames.

The flexitarian

The BBC website discusses the rise of the non-veggie vegetarian:

"vegetarianism used to be simple - its protagonists foreswore the flesh of any dead animal. Today there are "veggies" who eat fish, and people who eat no meat but don't call themselves vegetarians. What happened?"

What to remember during the silence

David Winter, on Thought for the Day last Saturday, talks of the challenge: 'I never know what to think about during these silences'. He says "it would be inappropriate to tell other people what to think about" but it is important to reflect on what we do think about during the annual collective silence.

He concludes: "To remember, and then forget what we have learnt, is an unforgivable waste of the God-given gift of memory. The Hebrew and Christian Scriptures constantly call on us to remember - events, outcomes, people, tragedies, blessings - but not just to remember. Genuine, profound remembrance brings the past into the present so that the present may be changed....... The precious gift of memory is a means, not an end in itself. We remember the past, but in order to transform and renew the present".

US judge bans Christian car plate

A US judge has ordered South Carolina not to issue a vehicle number plate with a Christian image and slogan. The state legislature had approved a licence plate with a cross in front of a stained glass window and the words "I Believe" written along the top.

Whatever happened to the teapots?

In the 1980s, Roger Law and Peter Fluck of Spitting Image went to Stoke-on-Trent to get some Margaret Thatcher teapots made. Now Mr Law, in the Radio 4 show Whatever Happened To The Teapots?, has returned to meet the potters to find out what has happened to their industry.

Whatever Happened To The Teapots? is broadcast from Monday 9 to Friday 13 November on BBC Radio 4 at 1545 GMT. You can also listen to the programmes for seven days after transmission on the BBC iPlayer.

20 years ago

@ProQuest "tear down the wall" and they did: see news report from Berlin on 9 Nov 1989

Free Audio Book: Desiring God

During November you can download the Desiring God audio book for free from Christian Audio.

It's the last day of autumn!‏

According to the Dorset Cereals website, today is traditionally the last day of autumn? This is because it is as the midway point between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Dorset Cereals run a simple pleasures blog and suggest "Why not take time today to celebrate all the pleasures of autumn one last time, with a leaf-kicking, conker-gathering walk in the park?" See also:

• great places for a walk today
• nature-spotting tips

Twinings competition

Twinings are inviting tea-lovers to describe their favourite Everyday moment on the Twinings Discoveries blog; they will send you "a little something" if they like your suggestion best.

Also, the famous Twinings shop on London's Strand has just been renovated, with a new tea-tasting bar. For example, you can try out the autumnal infusions – like Blueberry & Apple or Camomile & Spiced Apple.

Wallace and Gromit's 20th birthday present from Google

Google, it seems, loves Wallace and Gromit as much as the rest of the world. Today marks the twentieth birthday of the first public airing of the plasticine duo and Google UK has honoured their achievement with a homepage illustration. Nick Park unveiled Wallace and Gromit to an unsuspecting public on this day in 1989 at an animation festival. Their public debut was the 22-minute romp A Grand Day Out, later broadcast by the BBC - and so a UK institution was born.
[From The Guardian]

Eat for the environment

Read about how "scoffing fish can save ecosystems" in Eat for the ecosysytem.

Make do and mend?

BBC News reports that although repairing gadgets can save cash, many people would rather replace their broken appliances. So the BBC decided to find out whether it is worth giving these broken gadgets a new lease of life with a little help from a traditional repair man. Read the story and the accompanying advice from Which?

Calculate your personal carbon footprint

The Guardian's quick carbon calculator enables you to calculate the impact of your travel, home and shopping habits with our simple carbon footprint calculator. You simply drag the sliders to the left or right based on your spending and lifestyle patterns to compare your footprint to the UK average and other countries around the world.

• Find out more about the calculator's methodology
• Get some quick tips on reducing your footprint

Best time to meet?

A new study says 3pm on Tuesday is the best time to call a workplace meeting as most prospective attendees will be free. The hour in question is an office diary sweet spot - representing a confluence of employee availability, motivation and willingness, say those responsible for the finding.

Keith Harris, of online scheduling service When Is Good, has analysed 100,000 responses to 34,000 meeting requests sent by When Is Good users, and 3pm - particularly on a Tuesday - is the time which has the most acceptances. Conversely, the worst time to plan a meeting is at 9am on a Monday. Then, just one in three people will readily accept, compared with about half for an afternoon meeting.

Communicating God’s love through ice-cream

Young people in Coventry Diocese are about to blend their love for God with their love of ice-cream by opening an ice-cream parlour, to give away ice-creams and host events for young people in the area who fancy a fun flavour of Church life.

Meanwhile, in Chester Diocese a Christian Union wants to run the Sock Project to communicate God’s love to their school using sock puppets, running events and film-based discussions, and performing random acts of kindness in the school lunch hour.

These are two of 84 ingenious new evangelistic projects to receive a pump-priming grant of up to £3,000 from the Church of England’s Youth Evangelism Fund (YEF) in 2009. The fund is supported by the Archbishops' Council (50 per cent), the Henry Smith Charity, the Laing Family Trusts, and the Jerusalem Trust.

Launched in 2006, the YEF grew out of a report presented to General Synod in 2002 entitled Good News for Young People: The Church of England’s National Youth Strategy, which included proposals for a Youth Evangelism Fund. It aims to enable more young people to connect with the Gospel and develop faith within the life of the Church by allowing the young to share faith with friends in ways that make sense to them. Each year for five years, eight to 10 dioceses are receiving YEF support to resource new ideas for mission.

Wild Vision Tour Autumn-Winter 2009/2010

John Beatty is widely acclaimed as one of the most exciting and stimulating nature, travel and adventure photographers to have emerged in recent years. With over twenty years of assignments to his name, John’s work has taken him from the peaks of all the Greater Ranges to the American Deserts, to the teeming wildlife of East Africa and the wonder of the Galapagos Islands.

This autumn/winter he will be touring with his show Wild Vision: Images and Stories from the Wilderness. He will be appearing at Loughborough Town Hall on Thursday 4th February 2010.

10 best chocolate dessert recipes

To celebrate Chocolate Week, check out these delicious chocolate dessert recipes:

• Chocolate roulade recipe
• Chocolate and black cherry marquise recipe
• Hot chocolate pudding with fudge sauce recipe
• Chocolate, hazelnut and Amarula cheesecake recipe
• Chocolate tart recipe
• Chocolate and cardamom pots recipe
• Chocolate trifle recipe
• Chilled mocha souffle recipe
• Chocolate and orange brioche pudding recipe
• Chocolate, coffee and mascarpone torte recipe

The Teasmade is back on the boil

The Telegraph reports a revival for the great British Teasmade. Swan have revived the Teasmade by popular demand. The author writes of 'the charming paradox at the heart of the Teasmade [it is] a "labour-saving" device that really just transfers the labour from morning to evening'.

"In its curvaceous new form, with an LCD face like a blue moon and a swanky reading light, the Teasmade is not a bit like its squat old self with the funny little silver pipe sticking out of the top. It looks as if it might play music or make bread. It is unrecognisably lovely. The ceramic teapot wouldn't look out of place in Fortnum's."

Blog Action Day 09‏ (the ecocidal moment)

Today is Blog Action Day - an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will focus on climate change and will be the largest-ever social change event on the web. Follow the action on Twitter in anticipation, with updates from around the world every minute.

I've chosen to post a link to an essay from the Archbishop of Canterbury on the ecocidal moment. In this he discusses his view that the climate and financial crises reveal an amnesia about the human calling:

The Christian story lays out a model of reconnection with an alienated world: it tells us of a material human life inhabited by God and raised transfigured from death; of a sharing of material food which makes us sharers in eternal life; of a community whose life together seeks to express within creation the care of the creator. In the words used by both Moses and St Paul, this is not a message remote from us in heaven or buried under the earth: it is near, on our lips and hearts. And, as Moses immediately goes on to say in the Old Testament passage, "You know it and can quote it, so now obey it. Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death … Choose life."

[The Guardian article is an edited extract from the 2009 Operation Noah lecture]

Fairtrade Chic

The Fairtrade chic website describes itself as "your guide to buying fairtrade products and services in your country and area". The website aims to provide information about why you should buy Fairtrade, what products are available from fairtrade producers, and where in your area or online you can buy the fairtrade products.

Chocolate: the terrible truth

"There is nothing quite like it... Chocolate. A remarkable product. Sold all over the world in vast quantities. But there is a problem. You can't see it when you buy your favourite snack but there is a terrible truth..."

Read more in an article by Ruth Dearnley, CEO of Stop the Traffik.

Songs I Sang At Sunday School

Songs I Sang At Sunday School is a collection of 16 songs from yester-year, dusted down, and rerecorded with a modern edge.

"Many of us were shaped by the songs we sang at Sunday school, songs which established biblical truths in our lives and taught us the basics of the Christian faith. How good would it be to hear those songs again? Well now you can!"

Authentic Music returned to the studio and re-recorded 16 Sunday school favourites. The strapline is: "Prepare to have memories revived, and get ready to worship agan as you enjoy the songs you sang at Sunday school".

Give this Christmas away!

The campaign dates for Operation Christmas Child 2009 are 1st - 18thNovember. Check out where to take your boxesand gifts to include in your boxes.

This year there is also a Give This Christmas Away group on Facebook for suggestions for how we can give some of our Christmas away for those less fortunate than ourselves

New Fairtrade Towns website

A new Fairtrade Towns website has been created to enable supporters from around the world to share ideas and inspiration. Communities across the world are working to promote Fairtrade in their area, in order to enable more farmers and workers to get a better deal. In the process many communities are meeting goals to become recognised as a Fairtrade Town. On the website you can find resources and top tips from over 600 Fairtrade Town campaigns in different countries.

“…if I owned a chocolate company...”

Today is National Poetry Day.

Divine, the chocolate company owned by cocoa farmers, is delighted to announce the eighth annual national Divine Poetry Competition in association with Christian Aid. This year the mouthwatering theme is “…if I owned a chocolate company...” and the guest judge is top author Anthony Horowitz. This hugely popular nationwide competition which attracts thousands of entries each year. is open to all ages. The deadline for entries is Monday 21st December and the winners of great Divine prizes will be announced at the end of January 2010.

Divine and partner Christian Aid are asking aspiring poets to write a poem imagining how wonderful it would be to own their own chocolate company. They are asked to consider what sorts of delicious chocolate products they would make & sell as well as thinking about how they would ensure the cocoa farmers received a fair deal. Alternatively entrants can think about what it would be like for cocoa farmers to own their own chocolate company (like Divine) and what this would mean for the lives of their families & communities.

Sing Hallelujah

Sing Hallelujah is a nationwide project which encourages people to find their voice and discover the joy of singing through Handel's famous "Hallelujah Chorus". Sing Hallelujah is a project from the BBC, led by BBC Radio 3, and English National Opera (ENO).

Everyone from beginners to established choirs is invited to learn the Hallelujah Chorus, with the help of the BBC and ENO, and encouraged to perform the work during November and December 2009 to help mark the 250th anniversary year of Handel's death.

Day of prayer on climate change

Sunday 4th October is the suggested date for a Day of prayer on climate change. Churches are invited to set aside time to pray on this crucial issue. Prayer and other resources are available for download.

The day is promoted by the Environmental Issues Network, of which A Rocha UK is a member. The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd James Jones said, "I urge all Christians to pray for the earthing of Heaven on this day of prayer. Each day I make my own prayer with these words: Holy Jesus, Son of Man, come in glory and renew the face of the earth."

10 of the best secondhand bookshops

The Guardian highlights ten superb secondhand bookshops. These include the Infusion favourite Scarthin Books in Cromford, Derbyshire:

It lures the nervous in with reassuring new titles – 40,000 across the range – then seduces them with the “aroma and mystique” of a similar number of secondhand books interpersed among them. This is a labyrinth – 13 rooms, cubby-holes crammed with volumes, plus an organic cafe, the walls of which are lined with literary curiosities. A children’s room contains 9,000 books old and new. There’s a large ­collection of secondhand sheet music and ­antiquarian treasures.

What does your bookcase say about you?

As Ikea's Billy bookcase enters its fourth decade, the BBC website ponders why we display our reading material rather than just store it away.

If you printed the internet.....

If you printed the internet.... is a set of visualizations of what it would take to print the entire Internet. It is astonishing that, in only fifteen years, hundreds of millions of us have created this repository of knowledge from scratch, without centralized management, and mostly without remuneration.

Recycling clothes

Oxfam and M&S joined forces earlier this year to launch the M&S and Oxfam Clothes Exchange, the biggest programme in the UK to encourage consumers to recycle their clothes. The M&S and Oxfam Clothes Exchange was set up in January 2008 and has already raised a staggering £2m for Oxfam's charity work. Anyone donating an item of M&S clothing to Oxfam will receive a £5 voucher to use on their next purchase of £35 or more on a range of goods.

The Story of Creation (via Twitter)

If God tweeted the story of Creation…

Note the entry for Day Seven: [no tweets]

Reasons to be cheerful; sharing faith in everyday life

Spend a day with the Bishop of Leicester reflecting on how it is that we can both enjoy and share our faith more fully in everyday life. This year the guest speaker at the Bishop's Lay Congress is the Rt. Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading. Bishop Stephen has worked in parishes in London and Chichester, as Pastor of Peterborough Cathedral, as Missioner in the Wakefield Diocese and as part of Springboard, the Archbishop's evangelism team. He has written widely about evangelism, spirituality and discipleship, including Hit the ground kneeling: seeing leadership differently and Do nothing to change your life.

Reasons to be cheerful; sharing faith in everyday life will take place at Samworth Academy, Leicester on 14th November. There is no cost to attend; tea and coffee will be provided - simply bring your own lunch. To book your place, use the Booking Form (Print, complete & return to Church House).

Claim the coast!

From The Ramblers' website:

Did you know that there is no general right to walk along the coast and on beaches in England? The Marine and Coastal Access Bill, which will create a coastal path around England, is currently being debated by MPs in the House of Commons. It is essential that MPs support this Bill so it becomes law.

The Ramblers are therefore encouraging walkers in Britain to show Parliament how much we all love the coast! To take action: upload your seaside snaps onto Flickr! The best photo will win a personalised OS map; and 12 runner-up photos will be used in a calendar for the Ramblers 75th anniversary.

Shame we are so far from the coast here in Leicestershire!

Launde Abbey restoration gets the go ahead

The Synod of the Diocese of Leicester has approved the project to save Launde Abbey, following fundraising and much prayer. Visit savelaundeabbey.co.uk for full details.

The Launde Prayer

Father,
Here may the faithful find salvation
and the careless be awakened;
Here may the doubting find faith
and the anxious be encouraged;
Here may the tempted find help
and the sorrowful comfort;
Here may the weary find rest
and the strong be renewed;
Here may the aged find consolation
and the young be inspired;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jesus more likely to shop at Asda or Aldi

Yesterday the Bishop of Reading bemoaned the Church of England's middle-class "Marks and Spencer" image. The Right Rev Stephen Cottrell, described his frustration that the established Church is regarded as the option for the highly educated or “suited and booted” only. Jesus, he said, would probably have shopped at Aldi and Asda. He said that church was “not about how you look, what you do, how you sound, how well you sing”. It should be a place “where people can be just as they are,” he said.

Bishop Cottrell was speaking as churches of all denominations prepare to mark “Back to Church Sunday” next weekend, with thousands of people expected to receive personal invitations from friends to give church another go.

The Dan Brown Sequel Generator

Slate offers a nifty tool to create a plot for the next Dan Brown conspiracy-thriller-novel. Just plug in a city and a sect, and their computer will do the rest!

Hymns - ancient or modern?

In this week's edition of Sunday, Roger Bolton discussed the good and the bad of church music with Stewart Townend and Nick Page (author of Now let's move into a time of nonsense). You can listen again here (between 28 and 34 minutes into the programme).

Pray the Bible

An online edition of Matthew Henry’s Method of Prayer is available on the Internet. Matthew Henry's method, quite simply, is to “pray the Bible” and so the website is full of prayers composed almost entirely of Scripture. In addition to prayers of adoration, of confession of thanksgiving and intercession, in addition to prayers for many occasions. These include: morning and evening, and for Sundays and more specifically: “For Those Weighed Down and Burdened” or “For Those Who are Sick and Weak.” If you want to grow in your practice of prayer - and who doesn’t? - do check out this site today.

Creation

All across the UK the posters are going up announcing the UK opening of Creation on 25th September. The film Creation explores the different sides to Charles Darwin - the man who some believe had ‘the biggest single idea in the history of thought’. Even today, Darwin’s legacy is at the centre of contemporary debate about our understanding of who we are and what it means to be human. This film explores the implications of Darwin’s theories, and the way that tragic events in his family life influenced his doubts about God. Creation is based on the book Annie’s Box by Randall Keynes (Darwin’s great-great-grandson). It is an emotional journey into the grief that shaped one of the great scientific minds of the last 200 years.

This film is guaranteed to spark many conversations about God, Darwin, evolution, Christian faith, suffering and the nature of humanity. Damaris are delighted to provide a host of relevant outreach resources, including downloadable clips from the film, specially created videos, guides for outreach events, home groups and church services. They are all completely free thanks to the support of the film's distributors, Icon.

Leicestershire Walking Week 2009

Leicestershire Walking Week, from 19 - 27 September, offers a fantastic opportunity to get healthy, have some fun and meet new people. The Walking Week launches this Saturday at 10am in Watermead Country Park, just off the A46 near Syston, with a choice of walks around the country park and ones radiating off into the surrounding countryside or into Leicester city. There's a 5 mile walk along the river to Belgrave Hall where the Good Food Fair is taking place, or an 8.5 mile walk exploring the Soar valley downstream.

Walking Week is organised by the Leicestershire County Council in partnership with local walking and heritage groups, district and borough councils, Leicester City Council and the NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland. A total of 78 walks are on offer, including walks for people interested in ghosts, history, wildlife or pubs, and walks suitable for dog owners. Leicestershire has a 3,000 kilometre network of footpaths. The council wants to promote walking as: an easy way to get fit, a chance to leave the car behind and help reduce pollution, a good way to explore the countryside and learn about nature and history, and a chance to get sponsorship for good causes. For a full list of walks see: www.leics.gov.uk/walkingweek

Group exercise 'boosts happiness'

The BBC website highlights a new study which suggests that exercising together appears to increase the level of the feel-good endorphin hormones naturally released during physical exertion. Exercising alone seems to result in a lower level of endorphines.

"But more generally we know from experience that exercising in groups is good for people at many levels, it's motivational, it's social. Groups sessions really do work."

The kindness of strangers

The self-styled "water pilgrim", Maxim Laithwaite, has walked more than 600 miles and climbed the equivalent of four Mount Everests over the past two months. Throughout this time he has relied on strangers to provide him with food and shelter. Refusing to beg, he has used a simple phrase to prick the conscience of people he meets: "I'm relying on the kindness of strangers as I make my way". These 12 words have opened doors, literally, to homes of people just five minutes after meeting them. His strategy is not to knock on doors but to engage people he meets about water conservation, the issue for which he is raising money. Read more on Water Aid.

Churches take to the airwaves to extend warm welcome

As half a million people across the UK are set to receive personal invitations ‘back to church’ in the next few days, thousands more will be hearing their invitation over the breakfast table or on their drive home, thanks to a ‘time share’ scheme being used to help churches spread their message on commercial radio. A professionally-produced syndicated radio advert has been created as a way of highlighting the warm welcome awaiting those who return to services on ‘Back to Church Sunday’, 27 September. Read full story.

See also: Half a million to be invited Back to Church

Green cleaning products

In the first of a new series of videos in the Guardian, Lucy Siegle discusses the merits of greener, and even homemade cleaning products. Lucy's new video series is part of a boost for green living content on the website as part of the re-launch of environmentguardian.co.uk.

Bless you!

The FIEC (Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches) grouping of churches has published a document called Blue Pages Extra - Influenza Pandemic Arrangements, outlining advice in relation to swine flu. Topics covered include Medical matters, Possible curtailment of activities, Hygiene on church premises, Communion services, Staffing the church programme, and Pastoral issues.

See: also Online copy of complete Blue Pages Extra and Church of England advice on swine flu.

Treasures on Earth

An article by John Piper on “Treasures on Earth” from the journal Tabletalk, is now available to download.

See also other posts on credit crunch and faith.

CS Lewis: Beyond Narnia

If you enjoyed The Narnia Code earlier this year, you may also be interested in viewing CS Lewis: Beyond Narnia - an engaging biography" of the creator of the land of Narnia and the magical beings who dwell there. It was filmed in Oxford, where C.S. Lewis lived, worked and imagined the tales that make up the Chronicles of Narnia.

Life's little pleasures

The author, playwright and broadcaster JB Priestley published a book in 1940 entitled Delight. In it he Priestley's enumerated 114 "delights" - including fountains, photographs, charades, smells, walking in a pine wood, bragging, comic characters, dancing and buying books.

Fifty years later, the idea is being revisited in aid of the charity Dyslexia Action and the London Library. In Modern Delight a collection of authors, entertainers and national treasures reveal the little things in life that make them happy. Read more about the project and the other "delights" suggested by Radio 4 listeners: http://is.gd/34kIr

"Let nothing be wasted"

In today's Thought for the Day, Bishop James Jones discussed the vast amount of food we waste in the UK, linking this to the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand.

"Long before people realised the earth wasn't a limitless larder and centuries before the word 'sustainability' appeared on anyone's lips Jesus was warning against a lifestyle groaning with greed and waste."

Swap a book at work

Get your workplace reading by setting up a bookSWAP shelf. This is a simple way to run a small lending library, broaden everyone's literary horizons, and get some good discussions going in the workplace. The website offers ideas on how to run a Swap a Book scheme in your workplace. It is simple to set up and easy to run, as staff get to find out more about each other and enjoy their time at work, whilst employers benefit from having a more literate workforce. So - if you’ve read a good book lately, pass it on for others to enjoy.

Making Autumn resolutions

"God approves of New Year’s resolutions. And mid-year, and three-quarters year, and monthly, and weekly, and daily resolutions. Any and all resolutions for good have God’s approval—if we resolve by faith in Jesus"

John Piper suggests making some autumn resolutions - as the unplanned life can easily settle into fruitless routine, and the drifting life (the coasting, que-sera-sera, unreflective life) tends to be a wasted life... Read the rest of the article.

Portable espresso machine

If espresso is the ideal beverage for a recession, then a portable espresso machine is possibly one of the best gadgets ever.

You prime it up like a bicycle pump then add hot water to the coffee and....hey presto! No self respecting student or traveller should be without one.

World's Biggest Coffee Morning

Be part of Macmillan Cancer Support's World's Biggest Coffee Morning. Have fun with your family and friends and join thousands of others in changing the lives of people affected by cancer. To take part, simply register to hold a coffee morning and Macmillan will send you everything you need to make your coffee morning a success. Choose a date: the official day is Friday 25 September, but you can hold it whenever you want really.

Last year, more than 45,000 people held coffee mornings and, together with their family, friends and colleagues, raised over £7.5 million. If you need some inspiration and ideas for snacks and drinks at your coffee morning, here are a few to get you started.

How many cups of tea do you drink a day?

The Tea Appreciation Society recently asked its Facebook Fans: "On average, how many cups of tea do you drink a day?". The results revealed that most people drink 2-3 cups a day, with an overall average of 3.658657 cups.

Did Jane Austen visit the Rohan shop?

Rohantime tweeted Did Jane Austen shop at Rohan? The story? Jane Austen's brother Henry was a partner in a bank at 10 Henrietta Street, which is now a Rohan shop. Henry lived for several years above the bank (where the green plaque is) and Jane would stay with him when she came to London on business.

Can the internet cure insomnia?

One out of 10 Britons can't fall asleep at night. But new online treatments for insomnia may mean that a cure is just a few clicks away? While some sleep experts say automated systems can help make insomnia treatment widely available, others think effective treatment requires the human touch.

See also other posts on sleep.

Archbishop's environment videocast

The Archbishop of Canterbury encourages ‘response to God’s hope for us’ in an environment videocast. Launched last week, the Ready Steady Slow videocast is available on the http://www.whywearewaiting.com/ website and on YouTube. In it, the Archbishop shares his concerns for the planet in a new videocast encouraging viewers to sign up in advance, via the Internet, to the Church of England’s environmentally-themed online Advent calendar for 2009, with its daily green challenges and thoughts.

Win a tea party!

Dorset Cereals are offering the opportunity to win one of 15 gorgeous wicker hampers filled to the brim with a fantastic selection of Clipper teas, coffees and chocolate drinks. Play the spin the bottle game and you could instantly win one.

How Sunday trading changed the UK

Fifteen years ago, Sunday trading laws were introduced that led to a national love affair with shopping. There's a thoughful article on the BBC website discussing this.

Still shopping ethically during the recession

A recent poll of Friends of Cafédirect asked them if they were still shopping ethically in the recession. By an overwhelming majority, 77% are still shopping ethically, 21% do sometimes and only 2% have stopped shopping ethically in the downturn.

Love the Midlands? Or prefer to leave?

In Home is where the heart is? unless it's in the Midlands, the Guardian reports on a survey that finds that three-quarters of the Midlands' population would leave tomorrow given half a chance.

Skyride Leicester

On Sunday 30th August, much of Leicester will be closed to motor transport for Skyride Leicester. This is one of five Skyride mass-participation cycling events, where the streets of major cities are closed to other traffic and cyclists take over. Each is a great day out for the whole family where you can meet members of the GB Cycling Team, experience live entertainment, take part in challenges and tricks and - fingers crossed - soak up the sunshine!

The Skyride Leicester route will be open and free of traffic from 10am until 4pm.Highlights of the route include: Leicester's cultural (and traffic light!) hub, the Golden Mile, Historic Belgrave Hall, the eye catching and iconic Space Centre, Abbey Park, and Belgrave Hall gardens (home of the Skyride Entertainment for the day).

Tea pickers lose jobs to machines

Cafédirect has tweeted that tea pickers in Kenya are losing jobs to machines. More than 800 tea pickers have been sent home after a multinational company in Kenya introduced tea picking machines. The workers of the Eastern Produce Tea Company in Nandi were ordered to vacate company houses immediately and those defying the directive were warned that they would be arrested and charged with trespass. The company’s decision protests from the Kenya Plantation and Agriculture Workers Union (KPAWU).

A top manager at the tea company told a government official that the firm had cut spending by half since it started using machines in some tea estates. He praised the machines, saying they could be manned by a few people and dismissed union leaders’ concerns that the quality of tea could be compromised.

National Forest Wood Fair 2009

The National Forest Wood Fair 2009 will take place on Bank Holiday Monday (August 31st) at Beacon Hill Country Park, Woodhouse Eaves. It will be the 5th National Forest Wood Fair and it will include:

• live demonstrations of woodworking skills, craft displays and chainsaw sculpting.
• the opportunity to find out more about woodlands - from tree planting to felling. Talk to the experts and watch forestry in action including timber processing and horse logging.
• a Food Area with a great selection of delicious locally produced food.
• and also .. a lumberjack show, longbow displays, charity auction and a fascinating programme of talks on trees and woodland.

The Contemplation Couch

Earlier this month Bishop Tim Stevens and Revd Tim Blewett sat on the Contemplation Couch in the centre of Leicester to highlight the Save Launde Abbey campaign. Braving the rain, the two Tims and their supporters appeared on the BBC, and used the opportunity to explain the value of Launde Abbey as a Retreat House. The appeal has so far raised over £580,000 of the £1 million needed to save the Abbey.

How to cook in a tiny kitchen

Although British homes are getting smaller and smaller, it is still possible to cook in a rabbit-hutch sized kitchen . . . Advice from Katherine Whitehorn, author of Cooking in a Bedsitter - a classic text (recently republished) which assisted many a student in their first foray into self-catering.

Recycle thoughtfully and environmentally

The Guardian's EthicalLivingBlog is encouraging us to resist the dubious temptation of free air miles in exchange for your old mobile phones, as there are plenty of creative ways to recycle your used handset instead.

No time to exercise?

Struggling to fit exercise into your daily routine? Here are two schemes to help:

• Natural England’s Walking the way to Health programme encourages you to enjoy your local natural spaces and benefit your health by taking part in health walks. As the largest national body promoting and setting the standards for led health walks, WHI aims to encourage people to do regular short walks in their communities. Over 525 local health walk schemes are supported – find your nearest using the Walk Finder.
• The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy recognises we all lead busy lives and that it is hard to find the time to take up an intensive exercise regime. Their leaflet The Lazy Exercise Guide identifies a number of activities you can easily build into your daily routine.

Tea and Biscuits on R4

In Tea and Biscuits, broadcast daily from 3.45-4.00pm on Radio 4, you can listen to Hardeep Singh Kohli as he joins people as they meet and indulge in that very British ritual: a cup of tea and a biscuit.

The 2011 Trust

2011 will be a significant year for the Bible with many projects happening through the 2011 Trust to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, which was completed in 1611. There have been few more important single publications and its impact through history has been colossal. The aim of the Trust is to celebrate its impact in history and on language, particularly in this country, but also throughout the English speaking world.

Competitions from Cafédirect

Last week Cafédirect gave blog readers a chance to win some coffee by identifying a pack: see the 'Friday Fun' blog post. There is a similar competition today and every Friday during August so check out the Blog. During September there will be a prize for the favourite comment on the blog, so check in regularly and leave your comments. Make sure you don't miss out on future competitions by following us on Twitter or becoming a Cafédirect fan on Facebook.

Do we really need to ban plastic bags?

There have been a number of blog posts about plastic bags - arguably the ultimate symbol of our throwaway culture. However, as the Welsh Assembly announces plans to tax plastic bags, some believe plastic bags are distracting us from more important environmental issues.

Tutored tea tasting

Were you intrigued by news of the British-grown Tregothnan tea? The Tea Plantation offers a tea masterclass consisting of a one-day tutored tea tasting with leading tea tasters and world renowned presenters Tim Clifton and Jane Pettigrew.

The ultimate present for a tea-lover? Only if you have £179 to spare!

Send your name to Mars‏

Want a chance to go to Mars? Fill in your information and your name will be included with others on a microchip on the Mars Science Laboratory rover heading to Mars in 2011!

Icons of the Incarnation at Leicester Cathedral

A new exhibition Icons of the Incarnation by Sophie Hacker is to open at Leicester Cathedral on Wednesday 12 August at 8pm. The exhibition consists of nine stunning works by Sophie Hacker inspired by Olivier Messiaen's La Nativite du Seigneur and the opening night includes a champagne reception, illustrated talk and film by Sophie Hacker herself. The evening will also include a performance by Leicester Cathedral’s Assistant Organist Simon Headley of three movements from La Nativite du Seigneur. Tickets £7 on the door (includes refreshments). There will also be talk on and performance of Oliver Messiaen's music on Tuesday 18th starting at 7pm. The exhibition will then be open daily between Thursday 13 until Sunday 23 August.

‘Praycations’ for staycationers

The Church of England has launched a new web service for people taking a Staycation - holidaying from home instead of going away - during the recession. Staycations offer the opportunity to discover everything a local area has to offer, with cathedrals and local churches often at its centre, says a new Church of England website section at www.cofe.anglican.org/staycations. On the website pages, staycationers can plan their ‘praycation’ by browsing a wide selection of holiday-at-home suggestions, and 10 websites are recommended so visitors can find their local church and cathedral to make the most of their staycation. Over the next month the webpages at will be developed with further ideas and suggestions.

Knowledge of the Bible is poor

Knowledge of the Bible is poor, according to a survey undertaken by Durham University, on behalf of CODEC (Communication in the Digital Environment). Over 900 people, from faith and non-faith backgrounds, were surveyed at various locations throughout England and Wales about their knowledge of the Bible.

62% of respondents did not know the parable of the Prodigal Son and 60% were not able to recall anything about the Good Samaritan. There was also a lack of biblical knowledge among churchgoers, with 72% knowing nothing about Daniel in the Lions’ Den. However, three-quarters of people surveyed said they owned a Bible. Just under athird said that the Bible was significant in their lives today, and many said they still turn to the Bible for support and guidance at key moments.

Economy Gastronomy

The Guardian has been running a week long series on Economy Gastronomy by Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett:

One salmon, four dishes
One chicken, three ways
Turn a pumpkin into a feast
Dinner and a treat: escalope of chicken and treacle tart
Spicy black bean quesadilla and anytime cookies

This ties in with a new BBC2 show, Economy Gastronomy, and a book, Economy Gastronomy: Eat Better And Spend Less by Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett, published by Michael Joseph.

Smells like...Earl Grey

If the thought of Infusion perfume doesn't appeal, how about perfume based on Earl Grey? The French skincare/perfume compant L’Occitane is offering a "limited-edition Bergamot Tea fragrance collection that will delight both men and women alike". For the perfume collection, Earl Grey tea is reinvented into an original and contrasted fragrance, associating the distinction of tea leaves to the subtle freshness of the Calabrian bergamot.

Haggis is English?

A historian has claimed that a haggis recipe was published in an English book almost two hundred years before any evidence of the dish in Scotland. A book published in 1615 indicates haggis was first eaten in England and subsequently popularised by the Scots.

See also: haggis

Updated 4/8: Hands off our haggis, say Scots after English claim‏

Liturgy for a moon landing‏

Following the media interest in the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing, I've just found a blog post offering the Liturgy for a moon landing‏. It seems that the first food and drink consumed on the moon was bread and wine, in the sacrament of communion.

Alpha Male: a reporter checks out the Alpha course

Reporter Adam Rutherford of the Guardian is attending an Alpha course. He is writing up his thoughts in The Guardian every Friday - they are also published on the blog as Alpha Male.

Library-themed ice-cream?

Lots of book-related posts recently, and here's another: Book fans develop a taste for library-themed ice-cream. This reports that Ben & Jerry's is considering launching a library-themed ice-cream flavour, after a campaign by a New Jersey librarian gathered thousands of supporters. They signed a Facebook petition asking the icre-cream firmto produce flavours such as Li-berry pie and Sh-sh-sh-sherbet.

Turning books into trees

From my lunchtime scan of Metro: The artist who turns books into trees. Su Blackwell creates paper models from old novels. Her creations - which appear to grow out of the spine of the book - include forests, buildings, people and boats. They sell for up to £5,000 each.

Job hunting in the recession

Evangelicals Now magazine offers Practical tips on how to find a job after redundancy for Christians, with the following outline:

• Think and pray
• Preparation
• Finding opportunities
• Interviews
• Settling into what's next
• Resources

Lewis and Chesterton for beginners

Following on from Monday's quote from C.S.Lewis, I've just come across a Beginner's Reading List for Lewis and Chesterton that may be of interest if you've always wondered where to start with these "portly, homely, undramatic men" who are "still the bookish Christian's rock stars".

Social media updates

Following today's news that the UK government has published a 20-page guide to Twitter (or "140 character communication explained in too many words"), here are more social media links:

• A Facebook song from the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre
• Tweeting mouse trap and window: a cottage that sends Twitter messages when a mouse is caught, a window shut, or a light switched on
• Can you Twitter the Gospel? ‘Twittering’ the gospel accurately may be a challenge... but Paul gives us the confidence that we can summarise the gospel and stay on the message of Jesus and him crucified. Oh, that’s another summary and that is — what? — 15 characters in total in English: ‘We preach Christ crucified’ (1 Corinthians 1.23)".
  

Leicestershire Round goes Audio‏

The Leicestershire Round is on the radio. Chris Baxter, the afternoon presenter on BBC Radio Leicester has recently walked the Round and 10 minute recordings of his travels are being featured on his programme for the next two weeks. They're also available as RealAudio files on the BBC Leicester website. Along with some nice mellow music it's reminiscent of Julia Bradbury's walking programmes on TV.
[provided by Andrew]

C.S.Lewis on tea and books

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough for me" - C.S.Lewis

[ad for the British Library cafe - "visit our cafe to refresh both mind and body"]

Happy International Cup of Tea Day

Rather belatedly I have discovered that the last Sunday in July is now designated International Cup of Tea Day. Perhaps next year Infusion should celebrate with a tea party!

Summer reading from IVP

The IVP annual summer sale is now in full swing, with many titles available for as little as half price! Sale prices are available at participating Christian bookshops or via the IVP website at www.ivpbooks.com/sales. You can also download a copy of the sale brochure here.

Swine flu: impact on communion

On Thursday The Archbishops of Canterbury and York wrote to Bishops in the Church of England recommending the suspension of the sharing of the chalice at communion. The Archbishops’ letter follows advice from the Department of Health not to share “common vessels” for food or drink. For those who wish still to offer both bread and wine, the Archbishops have recommended use of “personal intinction by the presiding minister” allowing the priest to dip communion wtafers in the chalice before handing them out to communicants.

Elsewhere, thermometers sell out with swine flu scare and prayers for the pandemic.

New rituals for the British summer

The BBC website on emerging trends that say much about Britain in the 21st Century: new rituals for the British summer.

Divine competition

Divine Fairtrade chocolate will be launching a new flavour in stores inthe autumn: 70% Dark Chocolate with Raspberries will join the range in September.

To become one of the first to try the rich dark chocolate infused with real zesty raspberries, enter the competition to win an exclusive bar. Closing date is 31 July.

Plastic bag revolution

Government figures reveal that shoppers are rejecting plastic bags - the national use of plastic bags has halved to 450m since 2007. This has been heralded as a "small green revolution".

Rohan Bags beat the RPI (or MBI)

Rohantime has been tracking the price of Rohan Bags from 1978-2009 against the Mars Bar Index. Why? It’s not often that an item of clothing can be tracked over 30 years because products change so often or are superseded, up or down graded. However, this is possible with Rohan Bags - soon be celebrating over 30 years of continuous manufacturing means that the Bags Price Index can be tracked over all those years. And the Mars Bar Index? Apparently the price of a Mars Bar correlates accurately with the change in value of the pound sterling since World War II.

The price of a Mars Bar has increased by 300% over the years. During the same period, Bags reveal a slightly smaller percentage increase. Read the full results.

World Ebook Fair - 2 million free titles

Until August 4, 2009, the World Ebook Fair is being held and you can have access to over 2 million ebooks for free. Go here to check out the massive selection of ebooks which are available.

Cost of a cuppa is rising

Further news about the rising cost of tea. The blog broke the news back in May: tea news

Celebrating 40 years since Apollo 11 Landing

A Wordle of Neil Armstrong's words from the Apollo 11 mission

• NASA website: Apollo 40th Anniversary features
• The Science of Apollo 11
• Apollo 11 Landing's 40th Anniversary celebrated, new footage released

In the Thick of It

Tearfund have been working with local churches around the world for over 40 years, and are passionate about the role that local churches play in meeting practical and spiritual needs. Believing that their role should be recognised and encouraged, the charity has put together In the Thick of It, a position paper on the role of the local church in development.

The paper is full of stories about local churches in tough situations, reaching out to the people around them and offering hope and help in times of need. Read the press release to learn more about Tearfund's vision of mobilising churches to get even better at working effectively within their own communities.

The Unquenchable Flame‏

The Unquenchable Flame: introducing the Reformation, by Mike Reeves has recently been published:

Burning pyres, nuns on the run, stirring courage, comic relief: the story of the Protestant Reformation is a gripping tale, packed with drama. But what motivated the Reformers? And what were they really like?

In this lively, accessible and informative introduction, Michael Reeves brings to life the colourful characters of the Reformation, unpacks their ideas, and shows the profound and personal relevance of Reformation thinking for today.

The Theology Network has a whole host of resources to accompany the book.