28 Apr 2014

Chris Diskin, Economic Justice, Cambridge Quakers

Chris Diskin Talk and Supper, Economic Justice, Hartington Grove Meeting House, Cambridge , Sat 3 May 6pm
Chris Diskin, Economic Justice Programme Assistant at the Quaker Council for European Affairs in Brussels, is discussing his work on economic inequality and how international trade impacts on citizens’ well-being, and also on the role of Quakers at the EU during election time.
Contact Helen Bradford, helenb@quaker.org.uk, 020 7663 1071
Chris Diskin Talk (PDF, 104KB)
http://www.quaker.org.uk/april-2014-am-clerks-mailing

Mandatory Community Work Placements

UK charities were urged not to take part in the government’s new ‘workfare’ programme launched on Monday 28 April. Community Work Placements require that jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) claimants do six months work placement or risk losing their benefits. Unite calls the scheme “nothing more than forced unpaid labour”. 

18 Apr 2014

Free Webinar Tools

Gotomeeting – by citrixonline.com

WebEx web conferencing (recommended by Howard) - Cisco WebEx Online Meetings - Free 14 Day Trial

InstantTeleseminar - free 21 day trial, then from $47 a month - as used by Chris Johnstone on Active HopeBook Group webinar Thurs 20 Feb 2014.


Buzzumi - virtual meeting platform for sales and pharma and healthcare – no free trial 

17 Apr 2014

Active Hope Online Resource

Free online resource by Chris Johnstone to support people setting up Active Hope book groups or reading Active Hope with others: https://ruzuku.com/courses/4355/about

The Great Turning Times free email newsletter 

Active Hope Book Groups Facebook Group - for people involved in, or who've taken part in, a shared journey of reading Active Hope as a group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/292679187548650/ This is a private group - apply to join by clicking link in top right corner of the page.

http://www.activehope.info


15 Apr 2014

Local interfaith forum or network in Colchester

A Friend who is on the Quaker Christian committee for interfaith relations (I think that's right) asked me for contact details for the interfaith forum or network in Colchester, as I took part in some of their events about five or more years ago. For the record, before I forget further, it was Richard Seebohm who was the most active within Quakers with the local interfaith network at the time. He has since moved (to Oxford, I believe).

There is an Inter Faith Network for the UK – also on Facebook: but when I looked up North East Essex Faiths Forum (previously Colchester and Tendring IF Group) in their directory the link crashed.

Probably the best bet now is to contact the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Centre at Essex Uni. Father Alexander Haig of St Helen's Chapel (the Greek Orthodox Church in Colchester) was and still is involved. The other person who may be able to help is Susan Rhodes, who was for a time the Quaker contact on the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy. 

7 Apr 2014

JSA Sanctions not working

“The number of JSA Sanctions are at a 12 month high, and probably the highest ever on record. Yet, we don’t even know if these Sanctions are working. There have been many examples of people being sanctioned and not knowing why. If the aim of a sanction is to change peoples’ behaviour then people need to know why their benefits have been stopped otherwise it is just a punitive punishment which is trying and save money.” 
Dame Anne Begg MP, Aberdeen South MP, Fri, 4 April 2014 MPs Press Release

5 Apr 2014

tomato sauce +/- soya TVP +/- fried mushrooms

Basic quick tomato sauce: 1 carton tomato passata, 1tsp sugar, half tsp oregano, bayleaf, garlic clove finely chopped (no need to fry), 1tsp veg stock powder.

3 Apr 2014

How DWP and Tribunal must define ESA-type work-related activity - My Q&A in Updates

Regulation 35 - substantial risk to the mental or physical health if found not to have ‘limited capability for work-related activity’

1 Apr 2014

My presentation on PIP and ESA to the Thalidomide Society


The Thalidomide Society AGM Agenda announcing my presentation on PIP and ESA, which I gave to an audience of about 100 people: Thalidomiders (as they say) and their carers and families.