Askam Bog and signs of spring

The last couple of days have given us definite signs of spring: blackbirds nesting in the garden, squashed toads on the roads, and a bat out flying near the University. There are some buds bursting on trees and shrubs.

Am I an extreme atheist?

I’ve been wanting to get this issue off my chest for a while, so with a rainy weekend, here goes.

An alternative alpha course?

The weather this last week has been appalling for anything related to getting and seeing stuff, so another post on local religious activity. I was horrified, although in retrospect not entirely surprised, to find out recently that there are people running the so-called alpha course in Bishopthorpe.

Things that annoy me in “Link” this month

The local church in Bishopthorpe publishes “Link” magazine, which has news and events about the local community part of its community-building mission. We subscribe of course, for the modest price of 35p a month, to find out what’s going on. I thought I’d give my perspective on some of its religious content this month. 

Distant clusters and a new galaxy (M35, C48 (NGC 2775) and C54 (NGC 2506)

Last night was one of those wonderful clear skies after a front has passed. With no moon and great sky quality, I took in some new deep sky.

Hubble’s variable nebula

Last week there was one clear-ish evening when I took the opportunity to try to spot one of the sky’s most intriguing sights.

Review of “The Butterfly Isles” by Patrick Barkham

Just finished reading this. What did I think?

Is Christianity Green?

Some of you may know that Archbishop Desmond Tutu has produced the foreword to a new edition of the Green Bible, which contains excerpts from the Bible that can be interpretted to have positive environmental messages. I fancy getting a copy just because I’m interested in ethics, the environment, and religion. Here are some thoughts about the concept and Archbishop Tutu’s foreword, which is viewable as a free preview on Amazon.