The East of England Faiths Agency arranged and hosted a half-day conference on ‘What do the Faiths teach about the Environment?’ on Sunday March 5th at the University of Essex. The theme was chosen after a consultation on the Faiths and the Environment with staff from the Environmental Agency, who attended the conference. There were contributions from some of the faiths and philosophies in the region, including Baha’is, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslims, Pagans, and Sikhs.

The charity Rethink is the largest voluntary provider of mental health support in the UK and conducts many high profile campaigns in a continuing effort to achieve a greater understanding of mental illness. In March 2006 such a campaign was targeted at the city of Norwich, as explained on the Rethink website: During March, Rethink is taking the fight against prejudice, ignorance and fear to the streets of Norwich. The campaign will involve ads on buses, bus stops, billboards and on the radio together with a major statue unveiling in the Forum on March 10th.

The battle for hearts and minds between creationism and Darwinian evolution theory goes on and on. And on. Charles Darwins theory of evolution offers an explanation for the development of modern man, and all life on Earth, over millions of years, by a process of natural selection and mutation. Creationism suggests that, essentially, the world and everything therein was created in between six days and ten thousand years, by God.

Suffolk Humanists at the Friends Meeting House, Colchester, on 16th February 2006. Report of a talk by Jules Pretty, FRSA, FIBiol, Professor of Environment & Society at theUniversity of Essex, by Peter Davidson Professor Prettys talk was on sustainable development. He began by focusing on the general theme of human development, then assessing what the world looks like now, and trying to get a balance about how things might change, not only over a long period of time, but over the next forty years or so.

E-mail: events@royalsoc.ac.uk Event description: A free lecture at the Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace London SW1Y 5AG. Led by Professor Steve Jones, University College London, a debate on the case for evolution and creationism, and why creationism does more harm than good. Update 14/04/2006 – The lecture is now available on the Royal Society website (Realplayer needed). Related article on SH Further info: www.royalsoc.ac.uk/event.asp?id=4140 Map link: tinyurl.com/n2f48

E-mail: mail@suffolkhumanists.org.uk Event description: Why religion? An exploration of the religious instinct, led by Michael Imison, with reference to ‘Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast – the evolutionary origins of belief’ by Lewis Wolpert, and ‘Breaking the Spell – Religion as a Natural Phenomenon’ by Daniel Dennett. Venue is Hexagonal Room, Friends’ Meeting House, Colchester. Map link: tinyurl.com/gknqf

E-mail: mail@suffolkhumanists.org.uk Event description: Radio Times quiz by Marie Haworth, who says, “How’s your memory for the olden days? Bring yours along for all to share. If your memory’s not that good, or you’re not that old, bring a new favourite tape or CD.” The meeting will be held in the hall, Castle Hill Community Centre, Ipswich. Map link: tinyurl.com/fj2ck

E-mail: mail@suffolkhumanists.org.uk Event description: Richard Stock, University Records Manager of the University of Essex, will talk about his work, with particular reference to Freedom of Information. The meeting will be held in Room 1, Castle Hill Community Centre, Ipswich. Map link: tinyurl.com/fj2ck

E-mail: mail@suffolkhumanists.org.uk Event description: The meeting has been cancelled due to illness. Map link: tinyurl.com/gknqf

E-mail: mail@suffolkhumanists.org.uk Event description: Not the Antiques Roadshow, but… Richard Andrews has an antiques and collectables shop in Ipswich called ‘Déjà Vu’. He and his wife Lynn will bring some items of interest, while members are encouraged to bring things that they’d like to know more about. Richard writes, Neither of us profess to be experts – we just like collecting. This meeting will be held in Room 1, Castle Hill Community Centre, Highfield Road, Ipswich.

It’s possible, maintains Esther Rantzen, to have a good death. In a thoughtful, interesting and surprisingly optimistic documentary, Rantzen, whose experience of bereavement is still raw after the deaths of her husband, mother and father, looks at the beginnings of a movement to change the way in which hospitals treat the dying. How to Have a Good Death 9:00pm – 10:30pm, Thursday 30th March BBC2 Link: Radio Times | Programme details

E-mail: mail@suffolkhumanists.org.uk Event description: Radio Times quiz prepared by member Marie Haworth. What do you remember of the ‘olden days’? Bring yours along for all to share. If your memory’s not that good, or you’re not that old, bring a new favourite tape or CD. This meeting will be held in Room 1, Castle Hill Community Centre, Highfield Road, Ipswich. It’s been postponed from June 2006. Map link: tinyurl.com/fj2ck