Chris Kidd

chriskidd.co.uk

2008-03-04T14:41:00.001Z

It is now working - all my blogging will now be at http://chriskidd.co.uk/ so come and join us there.

Goodbye blogger, hello wordpress

2008-02-27T22:52:00.003Z

I haven't stopped blogging - honest. I have moved the blog over to wordpress, hopefully with personalised domain and some new structure and template to take my blogging to the next level.

So come and check out the blog over at: http://appliedyouthministry.wordpress.com/

Pupils per teacher

2008-02-24T16:58:00.003Z

Reading in the TES:

25 - The average number of pupils per teacher in primary education worldwide, 2005
45 - The average number of pupils per teacher in primary education in sub-Saharan Africa, 2005.
83 - The average number of pupils per teacher in primary education in Afghanistan, 2005.

Source: Unesco

Hope helps the heart

2008-02-20T07:20:00.000Z

Great quote from Thomas Fuller:

If it were not for hope, the heart would break.

SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning)

2008-02-20T07:15:00.000Z

Schoolswork.co.uk has a great post by Martin Watson on SEAL - What is it and how can it help me? As I have mentioned before I work as a Learning Mentor in a primary school and have been involved in pastoral care in secondary schools so this is something I have been trying to get my head around more.

Here are a few quotes from his post:

Research has shown that well designed programmes that promote social and emotional skills have shown to have a positive impact on pupil’s attitudes and behaviour (Weare and Gray, 2003; Zins et al., 2004) For example:

• Pupils have higher self esteem and confidence
• Pupils are happier and get on better with each other
• Pupils are more engaged in learning so fewer disengage with school
• Quieter pupils become more assertive and confident
• There is better behaviour in the classroom and improved attendance
• There is less bullying
• There are lower rates of truancy, offending and drug misuse

SEAL is not supposed to be taught for 1 hour each week and then be forgotten. The only way it will be completely effective is if it is used across the school with everybody involved.

SEAL aims to develop five main areas; self-awareness; empathy; social skills;
motivation and managing feelings.

Check out the Behaviour and Attendance website which has more detailed information.

I am excited about the opportunities this brings in school to develop young people as people and not just a factory line trying to get results in public exams such as SATs, GCSEs or A' levels. I think it also provides a great opening for churches to be involved in supporting schools in this. The topics that SEAL concentrates on, are ones that link with a holistic ministry to young people.

Are you involved in SEAL work in your schools work? Tell me about it if you are.

How to tie a tie perfectly!

2008-02-20T07:00:00.000Z

This is going to be a slightly bizarre post - How to Tie a Tie: The Pursuit of the Perfect Knot. As part of my learning mentor work in a local primary school I am spending a good portion of time helping create a smooth transition between primary and secondary school.

For a couple of the pupils I work with one of their big fears is being able to tie their tie as they don't have to wear one at present. Now that doesn't need to be a big issue with clip-on and elastic ties, but we might have a go at tying some ties for fun!

Biblical text clouds

2008-02-19T11:56:00.004Z

Check out Craig's blog. Whilst trying to keep track of key words and phrases for his sermons he realised he could use tag clouds. Using tagcrowd.com he has ended up with some fascinating results (the book of Romans and the 10 Commandments):

Research on suicide rates

2008-02-19T11:52:00.000Z

Check out this article:

The suicide rate among young men in England and Wales is at the lowest level for 30 years, say researchers.

Using data on suicides from 1968 to 2005, the researchers found that for males aged 15 to 24, the overall suicide rate dropped from 16.6 per 100,000 people in 1990 to 8.5 per 100,000 in 2005. Amongst men aged 25 to 34, overall suicide rates declined from 22.2 to 15.7 per 100,000 over the same period.

For women, suicide rates have been fairly steady. However, the proportion of women aged 15 to 34 committing suicide by hanging has increased "massively" - from 5.7% of all suicides in 1968 to 47.3% by 2005. More research is needed to find out why this is, the study says.

Thanks Nigel.

DIY bike rack

2008-02-19T11:19:00.000Z

There have been a few different ideas posted recently as to how you can make your own bike rack. This is something in the long run I would love to do to store my bike in a better way so I may well try one of these ideas (but then again my DIY skills are very poor so this may never happen):

Ikea (Stolmen) bike rack

DIY wooden bike rack

My First Message Bible

2008-02-19T10:29:00.000Z

Children Matter have highlighted the 'My First Message' Bible by Eugene Peterson:

it's brilliant!

the pages pictures and graphics are lush, the text is easy to read with a flowing style (as you expect from the message). no only that but thought prompting questions are found though out as well as suggested prayers and activities to coincide with the events.

basicly i highly recomend it since it combines everything that children need and enjoy.

Is religion losing the millennial generation?

2008-02-19T10:07:00.001Z

Interesting article by Stephen Prothero, chair of Boston University’s Dept of Religion. Prothero writes:

One of the biggest challenges to any ancient faith is to adapt to modern circumstances and then, as circumstances change, to adapt again. American religious institutions are, as a rule, doing a poor job of listening to and learning from this millennial generation.

Some really interesting thoughts in the article. I think there is a real challenge over how churches engage with not just young people but those in their 20s-30s. As people begin to settle down do they really turn back to traditional religion or is it the case that Christianity, and other religions hasn't done enough to engage with this generation and needs to spend more time reflecting on this.

Read the article here. (Thanks Intersect)

Mars crater: happy face

2008-02-19T09:59:00.000Z

This is a brilliant picture from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter of a 3 kilometer wide crater taken on 28th January. Check here out for more information.

(Thanks Marko)

Liverpool not prioritising

2008-02-18T23:20:00.000Z

Respect to Barnsley for their football this last weekend, and their 2-1 FA Cup win over Liverpool, my team. Worryingly it seems that Liverpool no longer treat the FA Cup seriously. Benitez seems to be obsessed with Europe, and doesn’t seem to prioritise either the Premiership or the FA Cup.

Without Torres we don’t seem to be able score, yet he left Torres out (ready for Tuesday night’s European game against Inter Milan), surely a clear indication we might struggle. Yes, Kuyt and Crouch as international strikers should have been able to do the job, but consistently throughout the season they haven’t been able to do the job, Babbel is our next best threat.

Again he left Gerrard out, even after the issues of our match against Havant and Waterlooville, where without captain marvel we nearly lost to a team way further down the leagues than Barnsely.

If Benitez wants us to win silverware surely for these kind of matches he has to pick our best team – I am convinced if Torres and Gerrard had both played from the start of the match we would have been in the draw for the next round today.

We are now out of both domestic cups, already 19 points off the pace in the Premier League, so Benitez better hope that we progress on Tuesday night in the Champions League, certainly a big gamble, because by now his career is beginning to depend on it.

How to improve this blog?

2008-02-13T23:48:00.003Z

I have been thinking recently about ways in which to improve this blog: more original thoughts, less content, change the background, change the name and url to better describe it, have more structure, e.g. days with certain expectations and/or themes over a period of weeks.

What do you think? How could I make this better, more helpful to you as a reader, why is it you read this? All thoughts much appreciated.

Free marriage service at Essex church

2008-02-13T12:01:00.002Z

Dave Walker has blogged on how Holy Trinity in Springfield is offering free weddings. The cost of the service, the choir, the organist, the verger and the heating is being waived by the church, . The fees normally cost £280 alone. From the Chelmsford Diocesan website:

Valentine sweethearts can tie the knot for free at a Chelmsford church. Romantic Rev Tim Ball, vicar of Holy Trinity Springfield, believes that marriage is best. So he’s waiving the cost of the service, the choir, the organist, the verger and the heating.
And the good news is that the offer will be available throughout the year.
“My church believes that marriage is best for couples, for children and for the community,” says big-hearted Tim.
“So we have put our money where our mouth is. We will pay all the costs of the service in the church. We are offering a free marriage service to parishioners because Holy Trinity is a good place to celebrate love and commitment.”

Jesus cosmetics

2008-02-13T11:47:00.002Z

A leading retailer in Singapore has withdrawn a cosmetics range with a Jesus theme after complaints from local Roman Catholics, local media report. Check out more here.

Grunge Textures: over 600 free images

2008-02-13T11:45:00.003Z

Mister Nifty pointed out Grunge Textures which is a get site to get free backgrounds for your presentations. On top of that they are high enough quality to be useful for print design as well. As they say on their site:

We have a growing collection of quality images ready for you to download including Aircraft Aluminum, Asphalt Textures, Brick Textures, Concrete Textures, Drains, Vents, & Grates, Grafetti & Vandalism Textures, Metal Textures, Mud, Clay & Earth, Old Machinery, Paper & Cardboard Textures, Peeling Paint Textures, Rusted Metal Textures, Spills & Splatter Textures, Stone Textures, Trash & Garbage Textures, Wood Textures, and other Distressed Surfaces.

Cost of Valentine's Day

2008-02-13T11:42:00.003Z

The price of love remains difficult to quantify, according to a series of surveys ahead of Valentine's Day.

A poll for online payment provider PayPal claims that Britons will spend an average of £71.25 each on gifts, some 15% of their weekly salary.

Yet, a survey for price comparison website uSwitch.com suggested lovers are looking for a genuinely priceless present. It claimed one in three could not afford to celebrate Valentine's Day and the average amount spent on a partner would be £22.69.

I am sure these statistics will be helpful for that assembly or session on love in the next few days!

How inappropriate is modern music?

2008-02-13T11:23:00.002Z

How inappropriate is modern music? Church Relevance have highlighted some statistics, where researchers analaysed Billboard magazine’s top 279 most popular songs of 2005 to determine what percentage of songs referenced tobacco, alcohol, and drug use. Here are some highlights from their findings:

1 in 3 songs portray substance use (33.3%)

This includes:

4 in 5 rap songs (77%)
1 in 3 country songs (36%)
1 in 5 R&B/hip-hop songs (20%)
1 in 7 rock songs (14%)
1 in 10 pop songs (9%)

Only 1 in 25 songs have anti-use messages (4%)

The average teenager is exposed daily to approximately 84 references to explicit substance use in popular songs, although this exposure varies widely by musical genre. Although the study did not analyze the frequency of sex and violence in popular music, 46% of substance use references were associated with sex, and 29% were associated with violence.

It is worrying that the average teenager hears 588 messages a week about substance use compared to one message a week from the youth group. A youth leader better make his message count. [via Church Relevance]

Predictive texting leads to new language

2008-02-12T22:02:00.000Z

Textonyms Give Mobile Phone Addicts a New Language: a new language is being developed by mobile phone-addicted kids based on the predictive text of their treasured handsets. Key words are replaced by the first alternative that comes up on a mobile phone using predictive text -- changing "cool" into "book", "awake" into "cycle", "beer" into adds", "pub" into "sub" and "barmaid" into "carnage".

The article goes on to say:

Some of the most popular textonyms show intriguing links between the originally intended word and the one the predictive text throws up -- "eat" becomes "fat" and "kiss" becomes "lips", "home" is "good" and the vodka brand "Smirnoff" becomes "poison".

Church and music (continued)

2008-02-12T21:59:00.000Z

Greg Gilbert is continuing his series on church and music, this time including some challenging questions:

Do you get bored when someone reads a longish passage of Scripture in your church? Do you start wishing they’d get on with the music?
Do you need music playing in the background for the reading of Scripture to affect your emotions?
Does a prayer seem too “plain” or “stark” to you if it doesn’t have music playing behind it?
Do you feel depressed a few weeks after a worship conference because you haven’t felt close to God in a long time?
Do you desperately look forward to the next conference you’re going to attend because you know that, finally, you’ll be able to feel close to God again?
If you’re in a big church with great music, are you able to worship when you visit your parents’ small rural church?
Do you ever feel worshipful in the middle of the week, at work, at school, etc. just because of thinking about God and his grace? Or does that only happen when the music’s playing?
Do you tend to feel closer to God when you’re alone with your iPOD than you do when you’re gathered with God’s people in your church?
Do you feel like you just can’t connect with other believers who haven’t had the same “worship experiences” that you have? Can you only connect with other believers who “know what it feels like to really worship?”
Is your sense of spiritual well-being based more on feeling close to God, or knowing that you are close to God because of Jesus Christ?

8,000 new friend requests on Facebook

2008-02-12T21:50:00.000Z

After spending about half an hour a day on Facebook, Bill Gates closed his Facebook account when his incoming number of friend requests (over 8,000!) overwhelmed him. (Via Lifehacker).

The need to reinvent

2008-02-09T23:34:00.000Z

Interesting article on the BBC about how Polaroid, the company behind the instant camera, is to stop making the film used in its iconic technology:

The firm is to close factories in Massachusetts in the US, Mexico and the Netherlands after the digital age left almost no market for the film.
Polaroid stopped making the instant cameras themselves about a year ago. It now focuses on other ventures which include a portable printer for mobile phone images, and Polaroid-branded digital cameras.
"We're trying to reinvent Polaroid so it lives on for the next 30 to 40 years," the firm's president, Tom Beaudoin, told the Associated Press.

We have been thinking a lot in Brentwood about how we do town-wide youth ministry and the need to change direction, to have a rest, to engage in different ways, and that simply doing what we have always done isn't okay. Some interesting parallels.

Church and music

2008-02-09T23:26:00.000Z

Church Matters has recently seen a couple of posts about church and music. Given the lack of decent material on this topic this is brilliant, and a must read:

Greg Gilbert on the end of music in churches.
Bob Kauflin responds with his musical experience and expertise.

Jesus in Prime Time

2008-02-09T23:24:00.000Z

Bible.org has launched a new blog, Jesus in Prime Time: Engaging the Public Square about Jesus. They describe it as being "made up of leading Christian professors, writers and thinkers who have come together to engage the media and culture about the person and work of Jesus Christ." The contributors include Craig Blomberg, Darrell Bock, Craig Evans, Scot McKnight, Grant Osborne, and Ben Witherington. Some interesting stuff on this blog so go check it out.

Best images from 2007

2008-02-09T23:19:00.000Z

The Telegraph has posted a lost of photos from Whatatop.com which were its highest-rated pictures on the internet for 2007.

Acts 29 Bootcamp audio

2008-02-09T23:15:00.000Z

Much of the audio from the A29 Bootcamp in Chicago is now online at the Acts 29 website:

Church Planting Evangelism by Mark Dever
Kingdom-Focused Church Planting by Ed Stetzer
Leading the Mission in Church Planting by Darrin Patrick
Preaching the Mission by Mark Driscoll
Missional and Biblical Church Planting by Ed Stetzer

(Thanks to Justin Taylor)

Young peoples testimony

2008-02-09T22:59:00.000Z

Josh has a great post on using testimony from young people. This is something we have been dealing with more recently as our church had a baptismal service a few weeks ago, and the two young people shared their journey of faith with the church. Here are his key points:

Write it out - no student should get up on stage without having their testimony prepared in advance. There’s nothing more powerful than a student story to compliment the message, but it can become awkward or even distracting when they don’t have a clear focus and a well-written script. Write it down and have them read it for the delivery. It evens the playing field so average students sound just like the ones that are more comfortable on stage.
Edit it down - Typically the testimony doesn’t come in at just the right size, and your size might fluctuate based on the needs of the service or the strength of the story. Either way, edit it down to perfectly fit the theme and message. Remove all last names, fact check, remove sentences that might appear to approve of unbecoming behavior, and make sure extra details used to color the story that may distract are edited out.
Talk to Parents - Before a student hits the stage, make sure their parents (if applicable) are in the loop. There’s nothing worse than a parent being blindsided - make sure there are no surprises. Whatever the story is about needs to be filtered by the family and make sure they are prepared for consequences and/or repercussions from the testimony.
Thank the student - It is a big deal to share the story! A hand-written card is a big deal, perhaps a small gift or a follow-up coffee is in order. Thank them for participating in a service whose goal is life change, and be sure to share the results of the weekend.

Ecocongregation

2008-02-09T22:49:00.001Z

Nigel points out ecocongregation - a place that has a whole load of information and resources for churches to become greener.

Jesus' ministry marketing continued

2008-02-09T22:40:00.000Z

I have already written about Jesus' ministry marketing and part 3 and part 4 have now been posted. Here is the end of part 4:

Overall, two big lessons stand out to me from Jesus’ ministry marketing.

Product is Priority: Great products market themselves. Always be striving to improve your ministry. Above all else, strive to be more Christlike.
Maximize Your Distribution: Jesus was purposeful in reaching new people. I believe it is the church’s responsibility to utilize technology to maximize their reach.

Rowan Williams on Sharia Law

2008-02-08T23:25:00.000Z

Rowan Williams is going through an unecessarily tough time. He doesn't seem to understand that in our reductive, immediate society where everything can be boiled down to just a few words, his carefully argued and constructed arguments struggle to be understood.

Some of what the media and the politicians are saying Rowan Williams said last night on Sharia law is just not true. Instead, read what he actually said.

Then follow it up with Paul Vallely from the Independent, who seems to have really grasped the issue: Williams is snared in a trap of his own making.

Just don't join in the criticism without having looked into it properly.

N.T. Wright on Heaven

2008-02-08T23:15:00.000Z

Time Magazine interviews N.T. Wright about heaven.

What the bloggers say - England v Switzerland

2008-02-08T23:12:00.000Z

Who ate all the pies has compiled some of the blogging community's verdict on England's 2-1 win over Switzerland at Wembley, in particular the role of new boss Fabio Capello:

'Capello has already given England something different. This team will play in a different way to its predecessors. Players will be encouraged to keep the ball, pass over shorter distances and attack from imaginative angles. That, at least, is something to be celebrated, however cautiously.' Guardian Unlimited

'As tempting as it would be to lay it into Fabio Capello (alternatively, we could all renounce international football like some club football fans - you know who you are), this was Capello’s first game, and just as England under McClaren could not afford to celebrate after beating Greece 4-0, England under Capello cannot afford to wallow in their own piss after a dominant-but-unconvincing 2-1 win over the Swiss.' Soccerlens

'England limped through this underwhelming friendly with a stale, patchy performance, as they struggled to adjust to the 4-1-4-1 formation that Capello had asked them to play.' Football Focus

'Obviously it’s good that Capello wasn’t satisfied. While there’s a team being fashioned here, instead of a collection of individuals, it’s clearly in its infancy. But there are positives to take forward, and I saw nothing that makes me think Capello isn’t the right man for the job.' Oh You Beauty

'Distinctly average. That’s how I would categorize England’s performance for the majority of their 2-1 friendly victory over Switzerland tonight. Distinctly average. If the England players wanted to come out and set a positive tone to impress new manager Fabio Capello, I’d have to say that as a group, they didn’t accomplish their goal.' EPL Talk

Gerrard temporary captain?

2008-02-05T21:50:00.000Z

New England manager Fabio Capello has made Steven Gerrard his captain for Wednesday's friendly against Switzerland, his first match in charge. The Liverpool midfielder steps into the role until Capello has had more time to decide on a permanent skipper, with John Terry injured.

In Terry’s absence, Gerrard is clearly the right man for the job. He’s one of only two club captains in the 23-man squad to face Switzerland on Wednesday - the other being Gareth Barry who wasn't a serious contender.

It will be interesting to see who is captain against Andorra in September. Personally I see Gerrard as a great club captain and a hugely inspiring player, but I am not convinced he should be the permament national captain. Terry has always impressed me in that role, though it could be said that he should take more responsibility for the team's failure to qualify for 2008.

Teen pregnancy trends

2008-02-05T21:43:00.000Z

Youth Specialties links highlights Seventeen Tackles New Teen (Pregnancy) Trend in their weekly email. Go read the article, very interesting and thought provoking. Here are a few clips:

I've definitely had my issues with Seventeen magazine in the past, and as a young sex educator am always a little leery of studies like this one, mostly because they allow adult readers to generalize from the statistics without being exposed to the intricate, convoluted reasons why things are the way they are. But this time, Seventeen got it right: the issue, out on newsstands, talks respectfully and frankly to young women, in a space where they are all eyes, about sex and the real world -- and allows us to learn a few things in the process.

Bishop of Liverpool apologises

2008-02-05T21:22:00.000Z

One of the country's most senior bishops, the Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Revd. James Jones has written on the topic of sexuality, and his role in objecting to the appointment of the gay cleric Dr Jeffrey John as Bishop of Reading in a his new book, A Fallible Church. He wrote:

I deeply regret this episode in our common life. ... I still believe that it was unwise to try to take us to a place that evidently did not command the broad support of the Church of England but I am sorry for the way I opposed it and I am sorry too for adding to the pain and distress of Dr. John and his partner. I regret too that this particular controversy narrowed rather than enlarged the space for healthy debate within the church.

[He called for Anglicans] to acknowledge the authoritative Biblical examples of love between two people of the same gender most notably in the relationship of Jesus and his beloved and David and Jonathan.

The Bishop of Liverpool’s essay is online at the Liverpool diocesan website: Making Space for Truth and Grace.

Thanks to Maggi.

Jesus' ministry marketing

2008-02-05T20:53:00.000Z

Over at church relevance there are a couple of new posts on how Jesus marketed his ministry (check out part 1 and part 2). Here is a bit from part 1:

Product: Jesus is perfect. He was sinless. Therefore, His ministry was perfect. It was remarkable, and consequently, it created word of mouth.
Price: Jesus’ ministry was free, financially speaking. It was accessible to both the wealthy and the poor. However, because Jesus’ ministry (His product) was perfect, He frequently experienced more demand for His ministry than He and His disciples could supply. ... Sometimes to lessen the demand, He raised the cost of the time and effort needed to see Him by traveling to a secluded place. But people still came from everywhere to see Him.
Place (Distribution): Jesus frequently traveled to make Himself accessible to a greater region of people. He ministered in the synagogues, the streets, and the countryside. He ministered everywhere.
Promotion: Jesus had no need to promote His ministry because the “product” was flawless. People promoted His ministry for Him. However, because He had a face-to-face ministry, it could be said that He used personal selling for promotion.

Focus on relationships and quality - not buildings

2008-02-05T20:17:00.000Z

Relational youth ministry is quoting the Bishop of Chelmsford speaking to a Grand Committee of the House of Lords:

“My heart sank a little when we spoke of building youth centres. Those of us in the faith communities and the churches have been involved in work with young people for a long time.

“Buildings are important, and churches sometimes struggle with that, but it is the relationships and the quality of the work that are really important. We must be focused."

Great thoughts, lets hope his comments lead to something positive.

Being a Godly friend

2008-02-05T20:13:00.000Z

Great post over at The Blazing Center on being a Godly friend. Go check it out.

Which famous person would make a good teacher?

2008-02-04T15:40:00.000Z

Children across the UK chose David Tennant - TV's Dr. Who - as their ideal celebrity teacher in a poll conducted by CBBC Newsround and the Children's Society. More than a quarter of those asked 'Which famous person would make a good teacher?' chose the doctor believing he would be a great teacher for science, history and geography because of his travels through time and space.

Newsround invited children to answer questions about how they learn. Their comments will form part of the Children's Society's Good Childhood Inquiry.

Other stars scoring highly were JK Rowling, followed by Dr. Who's former assistant Billie Piper, and David Beckham.

Shakespeare in comics

2008-02-04T15:27:00.001Z

Some of my girls were moaning yesterday morning about the difficulty in understanding what Shakespeare was on about when he wrote Much Ado About Nothing. Well later on I saw this site - Classical Comics - mentioned and thought it might help them. Key sections from the Key Stage 3 set texts have been transformed into comics. Alongside the images there are three levels of dialogue: original and unabridged, modern-day version, and simplified. Well worth a look.

Movie posters

2008-02-04T15:22:00.000Z

Check out Imp Awards. It is a brilliant collection of movie posters, ideal for thinking about the power of the image in advertising. You can even compare how the same film is marketed in different countries.

Ice skating accident

2008-02-04T15:20:00.001Z

David passed this one on to me. Thanks Dave!

Books I have read: Information for parents - Speech and language difficulties

2008-02-03T16:51:00.000Z

Continuing my reading around my Learning Mentor role I had a flick through Information for parents - Speech and language difficulties. This was a fantastic resource - speech and language difficulties in young children are not unusual. Research suggests that as many as one child in 10 under the age of five suffers some problems.

Possibly the most helpful section was where it explains how children normally develop communication, language and speech and how adults can help in these processes. There is a fantastic table on pages 11-12 which shows the normal stage a 1 year, 18 month, 2 year, 36 month, 3 year, 4 year, and 5 year old child should be at in term of social and play, understanding, and talking.

The booklet also touches on how to start getting professional help; speech and language therapy – what it is, who provides it, how to get it and what to do with it, once you have it; and as usual for this series of guides it has a large extensive list of contacts at the back for further information.

Books I have read: Information for parents - Autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) and related conditions

2008-02-03T16:42:00.000Z

As part of my new role as a Learning Mentor in a local primary schools I have been trying to read more of the guides from the government on topics linked to young people. This guide - Information for parents - Autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) and related conditions is great for parents who are worried about their child. The booklet was written by the National Autistic Society and TreeHouse in response to requests from families, professional agencies and voluntary organisations for better information.

It highlights what parents of autistic children wished they had known in the early days of finding out about their child’s situation. Parents have been involved in the producing of the booklet, and it is full of quotes from them which give great insight in to the issues vthey face.

The booklet describes the support that is available and answer the questions that many parents have at this time. The back of the booklet contains loads of places for further support, including websites and phone numbers.

If you are working with families who have children on the autistic spectrum this booklet would well be worth a read.

Books I have read: Help! I'm a Student Leader

2008-02-02T17:35:00.000Z

Whilst sitting in casualty a couple of days ago I read Doug Fields' Help! I'm a Student Leader!. I really enjoyed this book. It was straightforward and easy to read. Similar to the First Two Years in Youth Ministry Book it felt more like a conversation than a book on the theory of youth practice.

It covers a number of different topics including: serving, solving problems, caring about schools. With each of these topics Doug writes his thoughts, and at the end of the chapter, one of his high school leaders writes her thoughts and comments, those additional comments are very helpful and encouraging.

This is certainly a book that I will be wanting to get into the hands of the young people who help with our groups.

Watching football increases heart attack risk

2008-02-02T17:24:00.000Z

'Heart in the mouth' moments during a big football match may literally put fans' lives at risk, research shows. Researchers studied the effects on German fans of watching their home team compete in the 2006 World Cup finals.

For men the risk of having a heart attack or another cardiovascular problem was three times higher on days when the German team was in action. Munich's Ludwig-Maximilians University found that female fans had an 82% increased risk.

Read more here.

Fizzy drinks sales set to lose sparkle

2008-02-02T17:09:00.000Z

Some random statistics:

Fizzy drinks are set to make up 50% of the UK soft drinks market by 2011 - down from 61% today.
By contrast bottled water will increase from a 19% to a 24% share over the same period, Datamonitor said.
Juices are also tipped to get more popular, making up 22% of UK soft drink consumption by 2011 compared to 16% today.

For more information read this Which article.

Increase in child murders in the UK

2008-02-02T17:03:00.000Z

The Home Office figures show that child murders rose in 2006-07 from 52 to 68. The 31 per cent increase is largely accounted for by an increase in the number of children killed by their parents, from 24 to 33.

One in twelve victims of gun-related murder last year was a child, official figures published say. Five of the 59 people shot dead in 2006-07 were aged under 16 compared with none in the previous year. The figure will fuel concerns about young people becoming victims of gun-related crimes, particularly after the fatal shooting of Rhys Jones, 11, on Merseyside last year.

For more information check out The Times article.

£30m to keep parks and sports facilities open later

2008-02-02T16:51:00.000Z

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls recently announced a £30m investment over the next three years so sports facilities can be used all year and round the clock.

He urged more councils to end the ‘no balls game’ culture and help give children and young people out-of-school sports provision by opening up local facilities such as parks, playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts for longer hours.

Some of the comments Ed Balls made include:

“We have some great sports facilities in schools. But at this time of year some young people find their local pitches are unlit and waterlogged. And even if they do function the gates are locked at sundown."

“And I’d ask all local authorities to look at the public sports facilities they already provide and make sure they are usable for as long as possible. If young people want to play sport after school we should encourage it - not lock the gates or turn off the lights."

“Of course local authorities have to make sure places are safe and secure - but floodlights can make areas safe for use and experience shows us that area which have provided out of hours sporting opportunities have seen a fall in anti-social behaviour.”

Check out his statement here.

Give a presentation like Steve Jobs

2008-02-02T16:23:00.000Z

Business Week have provided a communication coach to analyse a Steve Jobs presentation and pull out 10 tips that we can all think about. Given that we are trying to share something even more important take a look at it:

3. Provide an outline. Jobs outlined the presentation by saying, "There are four things I want to talk about today. So let's get started…" Jobs followed his outline by verbally opening and closing each of the four sections and making clear transitions in between. For example, after revealing several new iPhone features, he said, "The iPhone is not standing still. We keep making it better and better and better. That was the second thing I wanted to talk about today. No. 3 is about iTunes." Make lists and provide your audience with guideposts along the way.

4. Make numbers meaningful. When Jobs announced that Apple had sold 4 million iPhones to date, he didn't simply leave the number out of context. Instead, he put it in perspective by adding, "That's 20,000 iPhones every day, on average." Jobs went on to say, "What does that mean to the overall market?" Jobs detailed the breakdown of the U.S smartphone market and Apple's share of it to demonstrate just how impressive the number actually is. Jobs also pointed out that Apple's market share equals the share of its top three competitors combined. Numbers don't mean much unless they are placed in context. Connect the dots for your listeners.

6. Create visual slides. While most speakers fill their slides with data, text, and charts, Jobs does the opposite. There is very little text on a Steve Jobs slide. Most of the slides simply show one image. For example, his phrase "The first thing I want to talk to you about today…" was accompanied by a slide with the numeral 1. That's it. Just the number. When Jobs discussed a specific product like the iPhone, the audience saw a slide with an image of the product. When text was introduced, it was often revealed as short sentences (three or four words) to the right of the image. Sometimes, there were no images at all on the slide but a sentence that Jobs had delivered such as "There is something in the air." There is a trend in public speaking to paint a picture for audiences by creating more visual graphics. Inspiring presenters are short on bullet points and big on graphics.

Freeze frame

2008-02-02T16:20:00.001Z

Over 200 people freeze in place on cue in Grand Central Station in New York. Where could you do this with your youth group?

Search for better prices for digital photo prints

2008-02-02T16:09:00.000Z

Lifehacker linked to PrintRates which is a digital photo print comparison site. All you need to do is enter how many pictures you'll be ordering, what size pictures you want and what kind of shipping you need, and you'll receive a list of prices of about 20 printers in the UK.

Capello makes the right call in overlooking Beckham

2008-02-02T16:02:00.000Z

Capello has been bold and not allowed sentiment to get in the way of who he picked for his first squad. Although he has trained at Arsenal, David Beckham has not played a competitive game since November and if that had been the case for any other player, they too would have been left out of Capello's first England squad.

The Italian has realised that a failing England have pandered to the wishes of their top players for too long. One guy getting 100 caps is nothing compared to the future health of the team. Fellow wingers David Bentley, Shaun Wright Phillips and Ashley Young need international matches under their belt and Capello has wisely picked them for next week’s friendly with Switzerland.

This is totally different to Steve McClaren’s attempt at stamping false authority on the team by dropping Beckham when he took over. This is not a gimmick by Capello, this is a sensible footballing decision. Beckham may, and hopefully will get 100 caps, but at least he knows he’ll need to be match fit and have worked hard for it.

Mahaney on books about the cross

2008-02-02T15:57:00.000Z

C. J. answers the question, “What books on the cross of Christ have affected you the most?”

Too much religion is bad for your faith

2008-02-02T15:38:00.000Z

Maggi points out Giles Fraser's article 'Too much religion is bad for your faith' from the Church Times. It is a good rant on the need to step outside the church box once in a while:

The reason churches so often become dull is that they confuse the infrastructure of the church with its purpose. This sort of church may be of interest to ecclesiological anoraks, but it won’t get people out of the pool and on to their knees. When the Kingdom comes in great power and glory, no one is going to care if anybody took the minutes.

Would the radical Jesus like you?

2008-02-02T15:10:00.000Z

Would the radical Jesus like you? is a great post that Scot linked to this week. Well worth having a read, certainly challenging. Take this snippet as an example:

I think Jesus would rub me the wrong way. I think his gaze and his words would rip away my facade of being a nice guy. I think he would take me to a high mountain and show me all the kingdoms of suffering he sees and he would open my ears to all the cries of terror and pain he hears. Many of the voices would be those of children. Then he might walk me back to my favorite coffee place and sit beside me and just watch me sip at my really good coffee. I think I would feel at least awkward and probably very uncomfortable. I think I would want Jesus to get up and leave. And I am not trying to poop on myself here. I am actually wondering if Jesus and I would get along.

Balloon funny

2008-02-01T07:57:00.000Z

Step 1. Tie balloons to car
Step 2. Drive like a madman
Step 3. Watch people freak out

(Thanks Marko - that made my day!)

C.J. Mahaney starts blogging

2008-02-01T07:53:00.001Z

C. J. Mahaney, with the assistance of Tony Reinke, is starting a blog. Here are the closing words of his first post:

I think you can anticipate a disproportionate number of posts on one topic, “Christ and him crucified” (1Co 2:2), for that, by the grace of God, is what I am most passionate about. So here would be my hope for this blog, and for the handful of you that will join my family in reading it. If I can somehow draw your attention each week to the hill called Calvary and remind you of the Savior’s substitutionary sacrifice on the cross for our sins, if I can draw your attention away from yourself and direct your affections to him, then this blog will have served your soul and made some small difference for the glory of God. I pray it does.

This is one blog that I am looking forward to hearing more and more from.

7 Church leadership mistakes to avoid

2008-02-01T07:49:00.000Z

Rick Warren of Saddleback Church (Lake Forest, CA) has made a list of seven common church leadership mistakes to avoid.

You stop growing.
You stop caring.
You stop listening.
You get distracted.
You get complacent.
You become arrogant.
You fail to delegate.

For Rick Warren’s tips on overcoming each mistake, read the full article.

You are guaranteed to fail!

2008-02-01T07:36:00.000Z

This is amazing - perfect for a session on failure. Thanks to Chris for this.

Untangle

2008-02-01T07:27:00.000Z

Marko plugged this game where you move the nodes so that no lines overlap. Each level gets progressively more difficult, I managed the first three and then really struggled - something I need to practice more.

Go check out untangle.

Park hosts pensioners' play area

2008-02-01T07:09:00.000Z

A playground designed specifically for pensioners has opened in a park in north Manchester. The Older People's Play Area on the Dam Head Estate in Blackley, is kitted out with equipment to strengthen hips, tone legs and train the upper body. It was set up by the local residents' association, who were inspired by a similar playground in Germany.

The park, which cost £15,000 to build, was tested by locals aged over 70 before it opened to the public. It was paid for by Northwards Housing, which said it was "delighted" to support the scheme. It can be found next to the under-fives play area, and has six pieces of equipment designed to give older people a gentle workout.

This sounds a great idea - how much fun for grandparents to go and play in a playground at the same time as their grand children! Go here for the rest of the article.

Review of Stott's "The Living Church"

2008-02-01T07:06:00.002Z

Derek Thomas reviews John Stott's The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor.

Volunteer Rotation: The Solution for Today’s Ministry?

2008-02-01T07:06:00.001Z

Two veteran children’s ministers sound off on the pros and cons of rotating volunteers here. Certainly well worth a read. It is a challenging issue - we want volunteers who are commited and keen, but in today's society that may mean once or twice a month instead of every week. We want young people to have consistency but then they don't normally get that elsewhere so does it matter? Lots of interesting questions and issues.

For me it is about balance - having some volunteers who are there most weeks, in contrast of those who rotate around their schedule and other priorities.

Refocus your ministry

2008-02-01T07:06:00.000Z

Thought this article on PDYMblog.com was really a good way to think about last year and move forward. So much of what Shane said resonates with myself. We often end up concentrating on the paper side of the job and not on the young people. Although taking on extra work at schools has been bad in the sense that I now have less prep and study time, in the other end it has been great because it allows me to focus my time on young people. Here are a few good quotes:

3. SIMPLIFY: One thing I had to realize is I needed to use my leadership more effectively. Let them help plan the fundraiser. Let some of them do the announcements. So what if we don’t have a funny video opener or power point game all the time. I became to focused on the event programming, and I forgot my
audience.

4. REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE THERE: I read 1st & 2nd Timothy today. It was a great reminder to me of my calling and why I do Student Ministry. I challenge you to take a moment and read these short books of God's Word. It will refocus you and refresh your heart.

Freebie tools, websites and software

2008-02-01T07:05:00.000Z

Over at lifehack they have recently compiled a list of the best tools, websites, and advice they know of to help make students. And best of all, it’s all free! Some of this stuff is worth recommending to young people, but a lot of it is worth looking at yourself.

£5,000 a share in Liverpool FC

2008-01-31T19:48:00.000Z

Great post at Reuters football blog about on Would you pay 5,000 pounds for a share in Liverpool? For me as a Liverpool fan I would love to buy a share in the club I support and help to direct it, but there is no way I would ever have that type of money let alone be able to risk it in that kind of business. Would you buy a share in the club you support?

Moorlands adds Children and Schools Work

2008-01-31T18:53:00.000Z

Starting in 2008, Moorlands College in Christchurch, Dorset is launching an exciting new Children and Schools Work option for students studying for a BA or BA (Hons) in Applied Theology.

Go here for more information.

Books I have read: The Organic God

2008-01-31T15:28:00.000Z

I really enjoyed reading The Organic God. One of those that you need to read several times as there are so many different layers in which it can be understood.

Here are a couple of quotes I appreciated:

I couldn't help but wonder, What would have happened if Moses kept on walking? In other words, what is Moses saw the flames and smoke [of the burning bush] and thought to himself, "That's interesting, but what I really need to focus on right now is the flock." Would God have still called to him? Would he still have had his moment? Would God have visited him in another way? I do not know. I would like to think so. But I do not know. (pp. 93-94)

Our God is wildly infallible. Nothing is beyond his redemption. Nothing is beyond his restoration. Nothing is beyond his healing power. Not the bruises. Not the scars. Not the pain. (p. 106)

God is unbelievably stubborn in his concern for us. He does not give up. He does not give in. Indeed, God is very stubborn. If seen in a negative light, stubbornness is often synonymous with being inflexible and bullheaded. But God's unwillingness to yield - his stubbornness, if you will - is not haphazard. It's founded in his love - his firmly resolved, absolutely determined, unrelenting love. (p. 147)

Cristiano Ronaldo v Bugatti Veyron - Nike Ad

2008-01-29T19:09:00.001Z

Love him or hate him, there's no doubt that United's winger, Cristiano Ronaldo, is incredibly quick. Here in another of Nike's adverts, you know the 'we doubt that really happened' ones where he takes on the world's fastest road car, the Bugatti Veyron, and somehow manages to pip it at the post.

More children drinking alcohol, fuelling violence

2008-01-29T19:03:00.000Z

From Reuters news agency:

Almost half of Britain's youngsters are drinking in their pre-teen years, fuelling violence and anti-social behavior, a government-backed study said on Wednesday. Drinking was damaging their health and inflating crime figures, it found. The crime prevention charity's study, commissioned by one of its umbrella groups Positive Futures, also revealed that people were drinking at increasingly younger ages, which it concluded had "serious consequences to health and crime".
The Home Office-backed Crime Concern study, "Binge drinking: young people's attitudes and behavior" conducted one-on-one interviews with 1,250 people aged between 10 and 19.
It found that about half of respondents said they had been involved in fighting, violence and aggression as a result of underage drinking.
Almost half said they began drinking aged 13 or younger, almost a third said they drink to get drunk and almost a quarter had been in trouble with the law after drinking.

Read the rest of the article here

Nine classroom nightmares

2008-01-29T18:58:00.000Z

Children Matter drew attention to this article:

Recently, the editors of Children's Ministry Magazine spied on an actual classroom. After seeing several discipline problems, we asked the experts what they would've done with each challenge.

Our experts were the 1992 Sunday School Teacher of the Year-Sarah Smith-and the two finalists-Caroline Bianchi and Susan Hambright.

Here is the full article

Expecting

2008-01-28T18:46:00.000Z

Fantastic quotes from Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest):

“Always be in a state of expectancy and see that you leave room for God to come in as he likes."

How to protect your USB stick

2008-01-28T18:44:00.000Z

How to protect your USB stick. This is an article from Hewlett Packard. Here is their summary:

Compact, convenient and cheap, USB sticks are great – until they’re lost or stolen. Here’s how you can safeguard the sensitive data on your USB stick, even if it falls into the wrong hands.

News from the world of football

2008-01-28T17:44:00.000Z

Opportunistic thieves broke into the away dressing room at Sheffield United and stole £2,000 from the wallets and clothes of Manchester City's players. Go to the Guardian for more information.

Fabio Capello is having serious doubts over whether David Beckham is fit enough to be included in his first England squad, due to be named on Thursday. The England manager is also considering naming his first squad in two different stages over the next five days. Check out more at the Independent.

Bono on the challenge for 2008

2008-01-27T18:38:00.001Z

Bono was asked "What one thing do you think that countries, companies or individuals must do to make the world a better place in 2008?" This is his answer, which is great.

Following a day thinking about Hope 2008 it certainly encouraged me to think and see how as churches we must keep our promises, we must stay true to what we say. A big challenge for '08 but a great challenge.

Session on values and the mission statement

2008-01-27T18:34:00.000Z

Jon has posted session 1 over his 11 session series on his church's mission statement and the importance of it’s values. It's a good session so go and have a look at it, and think how you might want to do something similar.

Golf funnies

2008-01-27T18:31:00.001Z

Great video that Girl Talk linked to with loads of hilarious moments from the world of golf.

Ex-warlord confesses to 20,000 deaths

2008-01-27T18:28:00.001Z

Scot points out that General Butt Naked is born again and confesses to 20,000 deaths, what a great news story. Certainly one that must be usable in the church context.

Google Reader Shows the Published Date

2008-01-27T18:23:00.000Z

LifeHacker have linked on the way in which Google Reader now allow you to discover when a blog post was actually published as well as received, i.e. how long it took Google Reader to show you that post? If you hover over the time block on the upper right hand side to get a tool tip that displays the published timestamp and the time Google Reader received the item.

Check out the webpage they link to: google reader shows the published date.

The Passion

2008-01-27T18:16:00.000Z

Rob points out that:

The Passion, which wil be screened on BBC1 from Palm Sunday looks to be another good quality broadcast which could give opportunity for a lot of discussion and chat about Jesus.

For ides for how this could be used look on the Churches' Media Council website.

80% of Crime in the UK committed by teenagers!

2008-01-27T18:11:00.000Z

Great post by Mark over on Way out West on how the media portrays young people in the UK.

The key thought is how much crime is committed by teeangers - most adults think 70-90%, in fact it is only 12%. Go check it out.

Boundary-setting tips for the work obsessed

2008-01-25T01:10:00.000Z

Possibly the thing I find hardest in children's and youth ministry is setting boundaries between work and play. (Maybe that is because so much of my work feels like play; maybe because that is a false and unhelpful distinction, or maybe I am just full of poor excuses). My job isn't a straight forward 9-5 job. It lacks consistency in hours, early morning assemblies mean an early start, yet clubs also mean a late night.

Bob links to a post from the 4-Hour Workweek Blog:

If you are so passionate about your work that you border on obsessed, you might find it near impossible to turn work off.

This is especially so in the web age, when you can stay connected no matter where you are, who you’re with, or what you’re doing. What do you do when suggestions like “work only during certain hours” and “don’t check email on evenings and weekends” just don’t seem to be enough?

Here are five more powerful tricks for keeping work in its place…

1. Choose flow-inducing hobbies that really engage you and pull your mind away from work. Flow is a sense of effortless engagement in what you’re doing. You’ll find it in activities that have clear objectives and challenge you just a bit beyond your current level of skill. What kind of hobbies can produce flow? Sports like skiing or martial arts, art like painting or pottery, games like poker or bridge, and puzzles like crosswords or sudoku are a few examples. Such activities will lure you away from work because, unlike passive activities like watching TV, they can provide the same sense of engagement and challenge that your work life offers.

3. Schedule dates with other people for non-work activities. For example, schedule a workout session with a personal trainer, arrange to meet a friend for happy hour after work, or make weekend plans with your friends or family to go hiking. Solo plans are easier to break in favor of work; if you have a commitment to another person you’ll be more likely to shut the laptop and mobile phone off.

Read the rest here

UK iPhone misses sales targets

2008-01-24T23:53:00.000Z

O2 has sold only 190,000 iPhones, missing sales targets it announced before the UK launch, reports the Financial Times.

O2 claimed in November that it expected to sell 200,000 units in the first two months after launch, with research firm Gartner estimating that sales could double that figure. However, queues outside shops before the UK launch of the iPhone were far smaller than those in the US, and leaked figures during the following months suggested that sales had been slower than expected.

The Financial Times claim that these figures have emerged from those "familiar with the situation", but O2 has reportedly been banned from commenting on sales figures by Apple. Despite missing its targets, O2 told the Financial Times that the iPhone is still the fastest selling handset by "a significant margin", and Steve Jobs announced at MacWorld last week that 4 million iPhones have been sold worldwide.

Researchers create lip-reading computer

2008-01-24T23:49:00.000Z

Researchers from UEA and Surrey Universities are developing a lip-reading system to convert video of conversations into written transcripts. This would be an awesome development for deaf users, and could be used to dictate commands to computers in noisy environments. Go check out the article.

Dog vs. Balloons

2008-01-24T08:54:00.001Z

This dog destroys 74 balloons in a mere 57 seconds! Random.

Everybody Hurts

2008-01-23T23:43:00.001Z

This is a great video from the student ministry at Saddleback. If only I had a clue how to create and edit videos, this is the kind of video I would want to make and use in our ministry. Simple, yet effective.

Children ages 4 to 16 dislike clown images

2008-01-22T22:57:00.000Z

Clowns have been used in children's ministry for years. But recent research has discovered that most children ages 4 to 16 dislike clown images. The research was an effort to find ways to improve healthcare environments for children and young people.

"As adults we make assumptions about what works for children. We found that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable." Dr. Penny Curtis, Researcher, Centre for the Study of Childhood and Youth.

"Very few children like clowns. They are unfamiliar and come from a different era. They don’t look funny, they just look odd. Children are much more happy with things stuck on the wall that have some sort of personal relevance for them, not some images that are foisted upon them by adults." Patricia Doorbar, Child Psychologist.

I thought this was an interesting bit of research. For more I can see the way in which Patricia Doorbar is right, clowns are from a completely different era. But at the same time I have been at events where children and young people have loved clowns. It would be interesting to explore the opportunity to change some of their image without changing the techniques and skills linked to clowning.

Creative and artful prayers

2008-01-22T22:53:00.001Z

Rethinking youth ministry has a good post on Artful Prayers with some good suggestions for bringing a bit of creativity to prayer time. My favourite is:

Tinfoil prayers - Pass out a sheet of aluminum foil to each person. Invite them to take time in silence to craft the foil into the shape of something they want to offer up in prayer. They could create an object, an initial of a person's name, or even something abstract. When finished, students can choose whether or not to share about their prayer request represented by their foil creations and then all foil prayers are placed in the midst of the group for a closing prayer.

Jackson Pollack Painting Simulator

2008-01-22T22:06:00.000Z

Youth Specialties flagged up The Jackson Pollack Painting Simulator it is great fun. Certainly something I might try and bring into a Sunday morning session at church with our 11-14 year olds. Have a go.

Teen sex habits revealed in survey

2008-01-22T22:00:00.000Z

You might want to glance at this article: Teen Sex Habits Revealed in Survey. It includes this sad statistic:

The percentages of 15-year-olds who said they had sexual intercourse varied by country ranging from 14.1 percent in Croatia to 37.6 percent in England. Boys were more apt than girls to report having had sexual intercourse.

Family meals may lower girls' eating disorder risk

2008-01-22T21:56:00.000Z

Check out this article - Family Meals May Lower Girls' Eating Disorder Risk. Here are some quotes:

Dr. Dianne Neumark-Sztainer and colleagues from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis found that adolescent girls who ate five or more meals each week with their families were approximately one third less likely to engage in extreme weight control behaviors, such as making themselves vomit, taking diet pills and abusing diuretics or laxatives than girls who ate less frequently with their families.
However, the researchers found that boys who ate with their families more often were actually at increased risk of unhealthy weight control behaviors. They speculate that boys who eat regularly with their families may have certain characteristics that predispose them to unhealthy eating habits, or that eating with family somehow benefits girls more than it does boys.

Virginity loss map

2008-01-22T21:44:00.000Z

Check out this virginity loss map, it is an interesting look at the age of teens losing their virginity around the world:

Apparently people worldwide are having sex for the first time at an average age of 17.3 years old, with just over a third (35%) say they were 16 or under when they lost their virginity. It's based on the results from a 2005 survey by Durex that noticed gems like the fact that young people continue to have sex at an earlier age than previous generations: while the 25-34s lost it at 17.9, the 21-24 year olds were 17.5 and 16-20 year olds were just 16.3. I actually expected it to be a little younger to be honest.

British generations play the drum

2008-01-22T13:51:00.001Z

This is quite a random video. 100 people aged 1-100 in order all hitting a drum! But it is quite powerful at highlighting the different generations and people that make up Britain.

John Piper on Martin Luther King day

2008-01-22T13:40:00.000Z

John Piper has a good post here on celebrating on Martin Luther King Day.

Martin Luther King "I have a dream"

2008-01-22T13:39:00.001Z

Despite having studied this speech in school I have never seen the entire speech 16-minute speech. A video of the entire speech, delivered August 28, 1963, the famous section starts at about 12:20.

Mobiles linked to disturbed sleep

2008-01-22T13:29:00.000Z

A new study shows that using your mobile phone just before you go to bed can make it harder to get a good night's sleep. Study participants exposed to the radiation equivalent of a mobile phone took longer to get to the deeper stages of sleep and spent less time in the deepest one than those who were not.

This research suggests that if you need to make a phone call in the evening it is much better to use a land line, and don't have your mobile by your bedside table. There goes using your mobile phone as an alarm clock!

Mobiles linked to disturbed sleep.

What American Muslims want to say to the world

2008-01-18T01:17:00.001Z

Deep Thought highlighted this great video published in response to someone asking lots of Muslims what they would want to say to America.

Girls 'being brainwashed to be promiscuous'

2008-01-18T01:04:00.000Z

In a society that celebrates people such as Paris Hilton, girls are being brainwashed into believing that promiscuity is synonymous with success, says Carol Platt Liebau.

In Prude: How The Sex-Obsessed Culture Damages Girls, Liebau claims there is "scant recognition or respect" for a woman's achievement that is not associated with sex appeal.

Liebau says the sexy images of performers such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera catapulted them to fame.

She claims that teenage girls are growing up in a culture in which being called "a slut" is preferable to being labelled "a prude".

Go here for more information.