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.

The C-factor test / Portrait of Calvin

If you followed up the earlier post about Calvin, you may wish to take the Take the ‘C-factor’ test to find out if you are a closet Calvinist. Developed in the Netherlands, read more about the poll online.

You may also be interested in a free e-book: Portrait of Calvin by T.H.L. Parker with a foreword by John Piper. This reprint of T.H.L. Parker’s classic biography commemorates the 500th anniversary of Calvin’s birth in 1509. Parker is a former Reader in Theology at the University of Durham in England and an expert on Calvin’s life and thought. Parker’s Portrait was first published in 1954 - but it’s not the kind of book that goes out of date, because it’s only trying to be current with the sixteenth century.

Sounds of summer

The chirp of crickets and grasshoppers is overtaking native songbirds as the sound of the British summer, reports the Guardian today.

Twitter for beginners

Yesterday the Guardian published a number of stories about Twitter - you can check them out online. Of particular interest may be:

• How to be a 'twitt': a guide for Twitter's late adopters
• Twitter etiquette: the rules

See also: Infusion posts mentioning Twitter.

Wildlife podcasts

BBC Wildlife Magazine is the world's best-selling natural history and environmental magazine. The website includes resources, competitions, and a monthly podcast reflecting on recent wildlife news.

The RSPB also offer a monthly award-winning podcast: Nature's Voice. Each podcast brings features, interviews and news of birds and wildlife, from back gardens to the Sumatran rainforest.

During 2008/09 the National Trust offered a monthly wildlife podcast service looking at what is going on around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Grow your own tea?

Last year Jacky reported on home-grown British tea, and yesterday Radio 4's On your farm visited the Tregothnan Estate in Cornwall which now sells a range of fourteen teas: four black teas (including Earl Grey) and ten herbal infusions.

Tregothnan teas are now served and sold at a select number of establishments throughout the UK including Claridges and Fortnum & Mason’s in London. They are also available online and you can even buy a tea bush (Camellia Sinensis) to grow your own tea at home!

Comfort-eating through the recession?

The BBC website reports on how Britain eats its way through recessions: "when the going gets tough, the tough, it seems, tuck into pudding". The report suggests that this may be more than just comfort eating, and that there may be profound implications for the way we understand what happens to the economy (in both good and bad times) and for how it might behave in future.

60 years of Bible distribution in Britain

2008 marked 100 years of worldwide Gideon Scripture distribution, with over 1.3 billion copies of the precious Word of God placed and presented around the world. In Gideon's diamond, read about how the United Kingdom became a ‘Gideon’ country in 1949, and by 1975 was a self-supporting National Association. The Gideons' website resources include Bible Helps, Daily Bible readings, and a two-year Daily Bible Reading Plan.

The Happy Planet Index

The Happy Planet Index reveals the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered. The index combines environmental impact with human well-being to measure the environmental efficiency with which, country by country, people live long and happy lives. The Happy Planet Index 2.0 was published earlier this month and reveals a surprising picture of the relative wealth and progress of nations. Learn about the ideas behind the HPI, how it is calculated, and why we need it on the HPI website.

Historic Bible pages put online

About 800 pages of the earliest surviving Christian Bible have been recovered and put on the internet. Visitors to the website www.codexsinaiticus.org can now see images of more than half the Codex Sinaiticus manuscript - written in Greek on parchment leaves. For 1,500 years, the Codex Sinaiticus lay undisturbed in a Sinai monastery until it was found in 1844 and split between Egypt, Russia, Germany and Britain.

The British Library is marking the online launch of the manuscript with an exhibition - which includes a range of historic items and artefacts linked to the document.

Boiled eggs for the culinary incompetent

It may be hard to believe, but thanks to a miracle of modern ingenuity you need never boil or shell another egg again. You just buy pre-boiled eggs from the Happy Egg Company - and all the hard work has been done for you! Read the Guardian on making the ultimate convenience food even simpler - or alternatively read Delia on how to boil an egg.

Compost links

• Free Green Cone & Food Waste Digester Workshops: Leicestershire Waste Partnership are offering residents the chance to find out just how useful food waste digesters are. The free workshops are a great opportunity to see what units are on offer and get advice on which type would suit you best. A local workshop will be held on Sat 25th July at Loughborough Town Hall, from 10:00am - 12noon.
• If you can't make a workshop then read about Food Waste Digesters and take the opportunity to buy a digesters at up to 60% off the RRP.
• Wiggly Wigglers sells plenty of worms. However, the site, set up more than 10 years ago, also has more than 2,000 gardening goodies to help create an environmentally friendly Eden in your backyard.

Christian Concern for our Nation (CCFON)

Christian Concern for our Nation (CCFON) was set up almost a year ago to serve the Church by providing information to enable Christians to stand up publicly against a tide of unchristian legal and political changes in the United Kingdom. It brings together focused legal, policy and media expertise and strategic intervention in order to secure favourable legal and political outcomes in areas of concern. It also acts as a rallying point for those concerned with these issues and a place where individual members of the public and organisations will be able to seek assistance and advice. CCFON draws on the skills and expertise of lawyers, but is dependent on the support of thousands of Christians in churches across the UK who want to see the nation turn back to God. Visit the CCFON website or download CCFON's Vision Pamphlet for more information.

New map shop from OS

The Ordnance Survey has recently relaunched its online map shop to make it easier to find the maps that you are looking for. Simply enter the location you want to visit and the OS will take you to a range of products that will help you get the most from your holidays and days out. Checkout OS Select which gives you the opportunity to decide exactly where you want the centre of the map to be - whether it is your house, a town (anywhere in Great Britain), your favourite walk or even a tea shop!

A Platypus for wine

OK, so a Platypus isn't suitable for porridge, but another product from the company behind the Platypus hydration system may intrigue you. The PlatyPreserve claims to be "the best way to protect the taste of an opened bottle of wine by completely eliminating the presence of oxygen". How dies it work? The three environmental factors that damage wine are: oxygen, temperature, and ultraviolet light. The PlatyPreserve solves the first factor by isolating your wine from oxygen. You can deal with the other two factors by storing the PlatyPreserve in a cool dark place.