Diary
British Humanist Association e-bulletin
Monday, Mar 30, 2009The latest news update from the BHA – click on “read more” for the whole bulletin. BHA meets Department of Communities and Local Government Representatives from the BHA met with officials from the Department of Communities and Local Government on Friday to discuss Humanist involvement in their community cohesion work. This meeting was part of a follow up from the successful meeting the BHA had with Minister Sadiq Khan in February where Mr Khan agreed that humanist representatives should be involved in relevant discussions on public service delivery and cohesion initiatives.Friday weblinks some things for the weekend
Friday, Mar 27, 2009If you’re one of those people who likes to save up stuff for the weekend, like washing the car, deafening the neighbourhood with a cacophony of power tool noises (note to my neighbours: SHUSH!), or tackling that annoying stain on your carpet, here’s an excuse to procrastinate; some weblinks to amuse, annoy or inform you. Ariane Sherine of Atheist Bus and Comment is Free fame has appealed for subjects to write about.Damn atheists!
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009Thanks to Ariane Sherine, for posting the URL on Twitter. If you’re on Twitter, let us know – we might follow you.Religion or Belief conference report
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009The BHA received grant funding from the Equality and Human Rights Commission for a project which aims to increase understanding of the ‘religion or belief’ equality ‘strand’. As part of this, the third in a series of conferences was held in Birmingham on 22nd January this year. We’ve previously posted a report from the Daily Mail, which misrepresented the purpose of this work. With her permission, here is a report on the conference from Alison Rawlinson from Coventry & Warwickshire Humanists, which was published in their newsletter.Misogynist Muslim clerics want to ban women on TV
Tuesday, Mar 24, 2009A group of Saudi clerics want their government to ban women on TV, writing, We have noticed how well-rooted perversity is in the Ministry of Information and Culture, in television, radio, press, culture clubs and the book fair. Perversity?Science and a spiritual dimension?
Tuesday, Mar 24, 2009The BBC’s online magazine asks “What do you get if you divide science by God?”, which is possibly one of the daftest questions imaginable. In an article about “the meaning of physics”, Mark Vernon reports: The Templeton Prize, awarded for contributions to “affirming life’s spiritual dimension”, has been won by French physicist Bernard d’Espagnat, who has worked on quantum physics with some of the most famous names in modern science.Community Network conference calls
Tuesday, Mar 24, 2009Our committee “meets” over the phone. The group is widely scattered over a rural area, so having committee meetings face to face, when committee members are all busy people with family commitments, is often inconvenient. The prospect of having to drive long distances, especially in the winter, can put prospective committee members off volunteering. It’s not very environmentally-friendly to drive when you don’t have to, and petrol isn’t cheap. For the past few years we’ve held most committee meetings by telephone conference call, arranged through Community Network, a charity based in London that provides tele-conferences for charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises.Humanist ceremonies what are they like?
Monday, Mar 23, 2009If you’ve heard a lot about Humanist ceremonies and would like to know more, come and hear about our religion-free baby-namings, weddings (for heterosexual and homosexual couples), and funerals. Plenty of time for questions.Policing the Suffolk Community
Monday, Mar 23, 2009Lloyd Stewart is a long serving Detective Constable with Suffolk Constabulary and is the Chairman of the Suffolk BPA (Black Police Association). Lloyd knows about the issues that face our community and our police in terms of race and diversity issues. He hopes to talk to the group about his experiences and about the challenges that face Suffolk Constabulary in dealing with an increasingly diverse community and the pressure of meeting government targets.Group meeting 10-Minute Topics
Monday, Mar 23, 2009A popular format that allows you to spend ten minutes talking about something that interests, annoys, or pleases you. It might be something youve read about in a newspaper, or an injustice you care about its up to you. We’ll be in the lounge at Pinewood Community Hall, Ipswich.