The Complex Christ

Generocity

My brother in law, Simon, and his partner Maro are going to be heading out  with VSO shortly. They've started a blog which I've added to my sidebar, and I thoroughly recommend passing by there.

The strap-line they've come up with is 'Bringing Global Justice Home' and what I really like about what they're doing is, as usual with me, to do with interconnection. This isn't just about going to some far-flung place to help out. It's about connecting that with places back here too - starting with Edinburgh, where they met and lived. True justice is always about these interconnects. It's not just about helping the victims, nor just about exposing the violators, nor judging the violations, but about helping people to better mutual understanding, whichever side of the divide they are on.

They, like VSO, could always do with our support. So if you feel like giving to support something really good, thoroughly global and thoroughly local, give their 'support' link a click too.

Technorati Tags: Blogging, Environment, Justice, Poverty, VSO

Final Salute | Pulitzer Feature Photography Prize

Full series of images from Tom Heisler's excellent winning series [ here ]

Technorati Tags: Iraq War, Pulitzer, Photography, Terrorism

Off | Bandit Baker

I'm Scotland-bound later today for an Easter break. They have bird-flu there. Great. Should be nice and quiet ;-)
I think they'll have wireless, but probably only the bakelite sort that sings out 'The Archers', so doubt I'll be posting or commenting, though I've set up a couple of things pre-post for the GridBlog.

Have fun in my absence, and why not have a read of Malcolm Chamberlain, who's just started blogging. He'll be well worth reading, I can vouch for that.
Enjoy the Master's golf too... A cheeky someone told me over drinks today how Jonny has resisted blogging about his golf habit as he thought it might 'lower his stock'... Rubbish! The campaign to hear about his Emerging Golf Mission begins here. No doubt being a Baker he's a real bandit ;-)

Happy Easter.

Technorati Tags: Easter, Golf

Dirty, Tricky London

Satirical London exhibition at the Museum of London.

Highly recommended.

Free.

A Dirty, Robust Messiah

An excellent thought for the day from the always-interesting Giles Fraser on the BBC this morning, discussing the essential dirty nature of the incarnation, rendering the sacred/profane divide fuzzy in the extreme.

His Greenbelt talk on Why Rothko Is Bad For Your Health is also superb. Buy it on CD, or hassle them to fast-track it to MP3.

Release Your Inner Mr Man/Little Miss

Make your own Mr Man or Little Miss here. Resistance is futile. You know you're going to have to. The Mr Emergent™ competition starts here.

Technorati Tags: Cartoons

Studying Religion

"Some people are sure that the world would be a better place without religion. I am not persuaded, because I cannot yet characterise anything that could replace it in the hearts of most human beings. (Perhaps we should try to eliminate music while we're at it. It inflames the passions and seduces many young people into wasted lives.) What people care about deeply deserves to be taken seriously. Exempting religion from scrutiny is actually a patronising way of declaring it to be all just fashion and ceremony."

From the exchanges between Daniel Dennett and Richard Swinburne, recorded in this article in Prospect.

Technorati Tags: Emerging Church, Science, Religion, Theology

Grizzly Man | Searching for Salvation

Just been to see Grizzly Man. It's fantastic.

For those who haven't heard about it, it's a documentary cut by Werner Herzog, using footage shot by Timothy Treadwell on his summers living among Grizzly Bears in Alaska. It wouldn't spoil the film for you to know that in his 13th summer there, he and his girlfriend were mauled to death by a one of them.

Treadwell shot over 100 hours of footage, much of it with him narrating in shot, so there was a wealth of material for Herzog to use, which he intercuts with interviews with friends and others.

What makes the film utterly intriguing is the character of Treadwell himself, who is convinced that he alone is working to protect and save these creatures. It becomes clear that with healthy populations and a functioning nature reserve this is patently not the case. His work is simply not needed, but after a difficult life of failed attempts at other projects, and severe alcoholism, he is desperate to be a saviour to something. He cuts a tragic figure, but is not to be pitied, being totally in love with what he is doing, and totally convinced that he is the only one who can do it.

The film thus becomes a meditation on the human need for salvation. Not so much that we need saving, but that we are desperate to save something, to be something meaningful, to lay our lives down for something.

The question we must therefore ask is, is our life's work worth it? Are we out to save something that doesn't need us?

Only on limited release, so try to catch it soon.

Technorati Tags: Fantasy, Film, Grizzly Man, Salvation

100 Reasons You Should Be At This Event

1. Si Johnston promises me it's going to be good. And, even though he's an Anfield boy, I'll trust him on this. Click his link for further details.

2. Soliton. Worth it.

3. The Craic.

4.-100. Make up for yourself to justify the trip. And then Carbon Neutrailise it. GoLowImpact™

Contact Si via his blog (link above) to give him an idea of numbers.

Friday 3rd March. Social.
Saturday 4th March. Sessions 10am - 5:30pm. Meal 1pm
Venue: Kelly's. Portrush, Northern Ireland
Cost: Gift. (Reason 101)

See you there.

Blook | (sic) | Lulu

For those who asked, I've just received the final (hardback) product from Lulu, and the quality is excellent.
If I was being finnickity I'd prefer matt to gloss finish on the cover, but apart from that, no hesitation at all in recommending them.

How much do I prefer page to screen?

Technorati Tags: Blook, Blooks, Lulu, Plogging