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Pray| Showing page 14 of 30 1... 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 ...30 | Last update: Wednesday 25th March |
| Ambitious plans to put Stoke-on-Trent forward as a UK cultural capital came from a top Government adviser it has emerged. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) sent a delegation to the city on May 1 to see what attractions and facilities are on offer. During the visit, DCMS director of culture Mick Elliott told representatives from Stoke-on-Trent City Council that they should submit a bid to become UK Capital of culture in 2017. If the programme goes ahead, a different city will receive the title every four years, beginning in 2013. The city council’s head of community services, Ian van Arkadie, said praise from a senior Government figure was a huge boost for the city’s hopes of taking the title. He stressed that success would require an enormous effort by the authority, its commercial and voluntary sector partners and local communities over the next eight years. | |
| Politics | The Sentinel- 20 May 2009 |
| A leading adoption agency has branded people who have concerns about gay adoption as “retarded homophobes”. The slur appeared in the current edition of the publicly-funded British Association of Adopters and Fosterers (BAAF) monthly newspaper, Be My Parent. It also appeared in the online edition. The offending article, which was written by a gay adopter stated: “Children need good parents much more than retarded homophobes need an excuse to whinge, so don’t let your worries about society’s reaction hinder your desire to give a child a loving, caring home.” The newspaper has already been distributed and the BAAF are considering what to do with the remaining copies. The article has been removed form the organisation’s website. However, in an astonishing admission, the BAAF’s Esther Freeman said: “We regret the use of the phrase but stand by the sentiment.” | |
| Social Issues | The Universe- May 2009 |
| Outraged law students have had their career prospects thrown into disarray after their two year college course was cancelled part-way through their studies. Around 24 full and part-time students were working towards a professional diploma in law through Stoke-on-Trent College, which would have enabled them to get jobs as trainee legal executives. Now the college, which teaches the courses on behalf of the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) has told students it plans to scrap the level three diploma in September. Managers say uncertainty over adult learning funding, the loss of specialist staff and fewer people wanting to take the course had contributed to the move. | |
| Education | The Sentinel- 19 May 2009 |
| Thousands of would-be Indian investors were taken in by a man claiming to have divine powers that could magically triple their investments within a fortnight. Ashok Jadeja from Gujarat is now on the run with a fortune reported to run into millions. The homeopathic doctor fooled his victims by invoking a local deity, claiming she had the power to triple money. | |
| Money | The Sentinel- 19 May 2009 |
| It is unacceptable that low rail fares are mainly found on the internet, a report by MPs has said. The report, by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, said: “This approach undermines the whole basis of the railways as a public service available to all. It excludes those people without access to the internet, without the time to search or who decide to travel at short notice." | |
| Travel/Tourism | The Sentinel- 19 May 2009 |
| The Bishop of Tasmania has called upon the state parliament to reject a voluntary euthanasia bill tabled by the Green party, saying only God, not man or the state, had the right to take life. On 27 May the leader of the Green Party, Nick McKim, tabled the Dying With Dignity Bill before the state parliament permitting assisted suicide. Mr McKim claimed that a privately commissioned poll found that 78% of Tasmanians endorsed assisted suicide or euthanasia, and that his bill contained safeguards to prevent the abuse of the law including a psychiatric evaluation of the person seeking to die, a second medical opinion verifying a life limiting condition, and residency in Tasmania for at least twelve months. However, Bishop John Harrower urged legislators to reject the Bill. “Going down the pathway of euthanasia is literally a way to death, not to life for our society – and it will bring great harm to Tasmania,” he told the local media. | |
| Religion/Spirituality | Church of England- May 2009 |
| Turkey must fully accept the freedom of citizens to convert from one religion to another before it can become a member of the European Union, the Bishop of Chester has warned. Bishop Peter Foster raised the issue during a discussion at question time in the House of Lords of reforms in the country. | |
| World Issues | Church of England- May 2009 |
| The low-carbon element of the Government’s economic stimulus package is lagging behind America and China, the Bishop of Liverpool has warned. In a debate on global warming in the House of Lords, Bishop James Jones called for a “culture change throughout society and in government” to enable ambitious carbon reduction targets to be met. “The climate of opinion on this subject needs to change more rapidly than the climate itself if we are to avoid disaster,” he said. | |
| Environment | Church of England- May 2009 |
| Thieves have stolen priceless floor tiles from a Norfolk church in what is believed to be the first theft of its kind. The irreplaceable tiles – which have been in place for over 500 years – were taken from the entrance porch of the historic St Peter’s Church in Crostwick, near Norwich. The church is hidden from the road and discovered only by exploring the common on which it stands. The tiles are thought to date back to when the porch was built in 1504, with money bequeathed for that purpose. Some of the tiles were deliberately smashed so that others could be freed, so even those that have been left in the Grade 1 listed building have been ruined. Police believe that the tiles were stolen to order. | |
| Crime | Church of England- May 2009 |
| Most people find swearing on TV offensive, a new poll commissioned by mediawatch-uk has found. The news follows Ofcom’s slating of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s Great British Nightmare which used the “most offensive language” 115 times in the first 40 minutes. A survey of 1,002 British adults conducted by ComRes found that 73% of respondents considered swearing offensive and 70% believe that the regulator Ofcom should do more to reduce the amount of swearing on TV. The survey also found that swearing on TV encourages bad language in daily life and 53% believe children are not effectively protected from swearing on television. | |
| Media | Church of England- June 2009 |
| Older workers are facing a “recession double whammy” with many fearing they will lose their jobs at a time when the value of their pension has fallen. Charities Help the Aged and Age Concern said people over the age of 50 worried that they would be forced out of their jobs at a time when their pension is not big enough to provide them with a comfortable retirement income. | |
| Work/Employment | The Sentinel- 26 May 2009 |
| The Bishop of Colombo has called upon the government of Sri Lanka not to treat all Tamils as potential terrorists, but to affirm their ‘rights and dignity’ as citizens of Sri Lanka. In a statement published in Sri Lanka’s national newspapers, Bishop Duleep de Chickera has also urged the government to take swift action to address the humanitarian crisis in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka left in the wake of the 26-year-long civil war between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), or Tamil Tigers. | |
| World Issues | Church of England- June 2009 |
| Vitamin D could boost brain function and offer protection against dementia, new research suggests. Middle-aged and older men with higher levels of the nutrient in their blood were found to have better cognitive function than those with lower amounts. The study, published in the Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry, examined 3,133 men aged 40 to 79 at eight test centres across Europe. | |
| Health | The Sentinel- 21 May 2009 |
| Almost half of all Christians in the UK have never been mocked, excluded or reprimanded for their faith, according to a poll commissioned by the Sunday Telegraph. Of the 512 Christians interviewed from a range of churches, 5% believed they have missed out on promotion because of their faith and 44% said they had been mocked. 10% had been rejected by family and 6% have been rebuked at work for sharing their faith. 47% experienced no such thing. | |
| Religion/Spirituality | Third Way- June 2009 |
| Prisoners smashing up their cells fuelled a prison maintenance bill of £320 million last year, a report revealed. In some jails, maintenance teams spent half their time fixing damage caused by inmates, auditors found. The National Audit Office said vandalism was one of the principal causes of maintenance work, accounting for 75 per cent of unplanned maintenance at Stoke Heath Young Offenders Institution, in Shropshire. | |
| Crime | The Sentinel- 21 May 2009 |
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