Blogs

Christmas for Togetherness

As we know, the world is currently experiencing a new wave of nationalism and populism. In the human search for meaning and purpose, one of the appealing solutions is to retreat nostalgically in mythical past eras and places, or to be lured into simplistic social solutions to complex cultural problems.

This kind of thinking suggests that if only we can detach ourselves from the difficulties caused by others, we can recreate a more secure world unthreatened by those people we do not like or understand.

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Green Activism

I’ve been an environmental activator and activist for over 40 years and have passionately campaigned on many issues including climate change, transport, food and energy.

With others, I set up a student Eco-action recycling scheme in London as long ago as the early 1970s, and became absorbed in the political discussions around ‘Small is Beautiful’, ‘Enough is Enough’, the Brandt and Brundtland reports, and more. Reading Silent Spring propelled thousands of us to think and act as if the planet was precious and that future generations mattered.

Football: It’s a family affair!

By Lee Alexander, Coventry & Exeter supporter.

I fell in love with football at an early age; standing on a wooden stool, supported by my Dad, watching Coventry City at home in the “covered end” at Highfield Road, or away on the asphalt banks of Fellows Park, Walsall.

It was a family thing; not just my family but being part of the football club “family”.

Show consideration and compassion to those with dementia this Christmas

Christmas can be overwhelming for many of us, with the hectic period of shopping, cooking and family gatherings putting a strain on relationships. But when someone in your family has dementia, it brings different challenges that are very easy to overlook writes Gina Awad.

Understanding dementia is crucial for the person living with it, but very often families and care partners learn by default. As a Dementia Campaigner, I would like to share some insights to help you and your family enjoy the festive season.

Appreciate the little things at Christmas

Gross materialism raises its ugly but seductive head as we move towards Christmas. In Exeter, this is partly symbolised by the Christmas market apparently competing with the Cathedral for custom on Cathedral Green, in this annual clash between Christianity and Consumerism.

Shrewd Santa is the sacred figure of our age stimulating desiring and devouring in malls and missives across the land. As Giles Fraser put it in the Guardian, ‘the great circus of greed is playing itself out all over the country’.

Rania Dalloul

I am sure the name Rania Dalloul will not sound strange to anyone. Even if the name sounds strange to you, Dominos Pizza or Mori Roti will not sound strange. These brands are the result of the hard work Rania Dalloul has done.

I promise after reading this article, the name of this great Yoga practitioner and human right activist will not sound strange to your hearing.

This article explains the biography of Rania Dalloul, her achievements as a business woman and legal practitioner, her service towards humanity and her sporty lifestyle.

Let’s get started.

Thank you to Exeter for wearing it pink!

I am writing to thank all of the brilliant fundraisers in Exeter for joining us and taking part in wear it pink on Friday 20 October.

Wear it pink, Breast Cancer Now’s flagship fundraiser, takes place every year during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to raise money for vital breast cancer research.

We were so thrilled that 123 fundraisers across Exeter ditched their everyday colours and pulled on some pink to help Breast Cancer Now achieve its aim that by 2050 nobody will die from breast cancer.

Why are we dying to ignore environmental catastrophe?

Speaking at a recent conference on Mental Health and Young People in Devon, psychologist Dr. Kate Middleton inspiringly encouraged participants to reflect on resilience for teenagers. Coping with challenge and change has maybe never been so difficult than in today’s world, so how can one adapt from the weathers of life and recover from adversity?

Ten things I needed to know before I wrote my novel

My debut novel, Fox Halt Farm is just out on Amazon and here is the link to my blog - this is a post I wrote a couple of months ago.

https://www.celiascosmos.com/ten-things-before-you-write-your-novel/

Together for Life

At the recent Exeter Diocesan clergy conference our three Bishops participated in a panel answering questions from the floor on a variety of contemporary topics.

One of those raised was, ‘what are the greatest social challenges facing the people of Devon who we seek to serve at this time?’ The Bishops responded with helpful comments such as our ageing population, new housing developments, pressures on land-use and the future of farming, as well as health concerns including dementia, loneliness and mental well-being.

Post Truth or Past Thinking?

Many English people do not appear to be too media-literate. We do not read beneath the words or images presented to us, nor think about the intentions of those who communicate with us. We take too much at face value and do not appreciate the deeper or more complex subtleties of what we are being told. Many of us prefer to believe a more immediate or literal understanding of what is in front of us.