'we would be delighted to see any pictures you have taken of your wintry Meeting house'

On Sunday, 21 November 7.50am on BBC Radio London: Helen Drewery will be interviewed by Jumoke Fashole about Quaker concern for the environment, looking ahead to the United Nations conference in Copenhagen (December 7-18).

On Sunday 15 November 09.00am BBC R4 'Broadcasting House' Helen Rowlands of Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre will be interviewed about Cadburys and Quakers in business.

It is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions and it shares with Quakerism the belief that the divine relationship needs no human intervention.

This is a pivotal time for Quakers in Britain. Sure, we have had our years of looking inwards, at structures and organisation. And yes, our numbers have seemed to move inexorably downwards, now as low as 23,000. But Quaker Quest has been a success, attracting new interest, we are united around our long-term aims, and there is energy and appetite for renewal evident in many Local Meetings and at Britain Yearly Meeting Gathering.

At Young Friends General Meeting last weekend in Brighton, a giant '350' was made out of pebbles on the beach as part of 350 Day's events to raise awareness about climate change.

I like giants by Kimya Dawson

A useful set of links has been put together for Quaker Meeting librarians.

Quaker Week 2009 will undoubtedly be a success. As well as drawing new people to explore the Quaker way, this week is an excellent opportunity for Friends to improve their own 'inreach' and learn to work together better.

We first showed you this video on our BYM blog.

Just telling people that they should be doing more about the environment isn't really enough.

A SPECIES of starfish has confounded climate change doom-mongers by thriving as sea temperatures and acidity increase - a scenario that is likely as the world gets warmer.

Most studies have concluded that sea animals with calcified shells or skeletons, such as starfish, will suffer as carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels dissolves in the sea, making the water more acidic and destroying the calcium carbonate on which the creatures depend.

STRING theory: you love it or loathe it.



To some it represents our best hope for a route to a "theory of everything"; others portray it as anything from a mathematically obtuse minefield to a quasi-religion that has precious little to do with science.

There might be a middle way. String theory's mathematical tools were designed to unlock the most profound secrets of the cosmos, but they could have a far less esoteric purpose: to tease out the properties of some of the most complex yet useful types of material here on Earth.

Earlier today, George Tiller, a Kansas doctor who administered abortions, was murdered “as he stood in the foyer of his church.” Tiller, who frequently wore a bullet-proof vest for protection, was shot and killed by an assailant, purported to be a 51-year old man named Scott Roeder. The killing comes only two months after he was found not guilty of performing illegal late-term abortions.

A major-league ballplayer, a World War II hero . . . O’Neill’s story, I’ve often thought, might make a nice newspaper takeout, perhaps even a book or screenplay.

His short life was as sweet as any imaginable. And as bitter.