Friday 31 October 2008

AWE recruitment at Birmingham University

The Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston are recruiting at Staff House, Birmingham University Wednesday 5 November at 6 p.m.

The making of weapons of mass destruction is stupid, immoral & illegal.

Friday 24 October 2008

Martin Luther King workshop at St Ethelberga's

Workshop:

Martin Luther King – Spirit Led Prophet

An activist leader and ardent advocate of peaceful nonviolent social change, Martin Luther King was described as a “Spirit led Prophet” by his biographer, Richard Deats. Forty years on from his assassination come and find out what sustained and drove King in his commitment to nonviolent social change and how his peacemaking lessons can be applied to our lives today.

Cost £15. Drinks provided. Bring lunch to share.

Helen Gilbert +44 (0)20 7496 1610

www.stethelburgas.org

Tuesday 21 October 2008

Queen's visit to Aldermaston

To challenge the powers is in part about generating the stories that go on to reproduce themselves in other peoples' lives as the kingdom of God is established.

Here are some of the stories generated at Queen's this week. Ekklesia; Inspire; Church Times; Birmingham Mail; BBC Midlands;

Queen's Foundation trains people for ministry in the Church of England, the Methodist Church, and other independent Churches. As part of the Anglican and Methodist training students are expected to take part in at least one Prophetic action during each year and to reflect on this action in their own spiritual formation and in the life of the worshipping community.

"For many it has already become a radically conversion experience. As I stood at the fence at AWE and received the 'ash of repentance' I cried for the futility of state violence and it's totem - the Trident missile and won't ever be quite the same."

Friday 10 October 2008

Banksy's Village Pet Store: Apocalypse Now

Hat's off to Banksy. His new exhibition in New York is a brilliant satire. Far better than his elephant in the room gag.

Banksy's new 'Village Pet Store' holds up a mirror to western civilisation and our freakish relationship to our own bodies, the rest of the animal world, and food.

There are glass cases with wriggling or humping sausages of various breeds. There's a leapord skin coat, basking in the sun and switching it's tail about. There's plenty more besides all aimed to hit home at a very emotive level of our engagement with the world we live in.

Even for those who feel they have a pretty sound grasp of their ethical sensibilities when it comes to animal welfare would do well to see some of this stuff. It is revealing in the most apocalyptic sense.

Saturday 4 October 2008

Old Logo


Forgotten about this then found it today: floating around cyberspace.

Thursday 2 October 2008

Power and the Academy - Conference in Manchester

Power and the Academy
The 8th Conference of the Discourse, Power, Resistance Series

6-8 April 2009Geoffrey Manton Conference Centre
Manchester Metropolitan University , UK

Keynote speakers:
Zygmunt Bauman
Cameron McCarthy

What is the relationship between power and the academy? Academics are
effectively government employees, told what to do and how to do it. In
research they are told what matters and what does not, and this tells them
what they will get research funding for and what they won’t; and they
are told what methods to use – what will count as evidence and what
won’t. In teaching they are told what to teach and what not to teach,
how to teach it and how to assess it. Teachers and learners tick boxes,
performing as trainers and trainees with constant reference to the demands
of the workplace, and subject to a Byzantine apparatus of monitoring and
surveillance. If they transgress, punishment follows, normally in the form
of the withdrawal of funding.

Please submit ABSTRACTS to: dpr@mmu.ac.uk