• About
  • My Contact Details
  • My Publications
  • Resources for studying theology
    • Generic assignment feedback…
  • Writing and Editing Tips

radiescent

~ Richard A. Davis blogging

radiescent

Monthly Archives: August 2007

First Day in Edinburgh

31 Friday Aug 2007

Posted by radiescent in Edinburgh

≈ Leave a comment

I have spent my first full day in Edinburgh after arriving here on Wednesday afternoon.

The new Air NZ Boeing 777 I took out of Auckland was awesome featuring more leg room and a brilliant entertainment system (but too hard to navigate, and the handset should have a lock on it to prevent calling the hostesses by accident). The plane made even the long trip to LA bearable. The shorter trip to Frankfurt was a nightmare by comparison.

I was disappointed by the lack of free internet at various airports. One kiosk charged 18euro an hour for access. A real hardship when one has to wait several hours in an airport.

I saw three movies on the Auckland to LA flight: Blades of Glory (6/10); The World’s Fastest Indian (7.5/10) and Shrek the Third (6.5/10). On the jounrney also I read Faith and Politics After Christendom: The Church as a Movement for Anarchy (After Christendom) by Jonathan Bartley. It is more of a survey of the shifting grouns in church and state relations in the UK than an Christian anarchist manifesto, which is what I was expecting. But such changing grounds means something else when one lives within a soceity with an established church. Just as the coloniser has trouble understanding decolonisation, it may seem to be anarchical to disestablish the Church of England.

Yesterday I walked into town through the Royal Botanic Gardens. I was pleased to see a cabbage tree and later saw some gorse (a native of Scotland!). There was an insatlled exhibition of Hard Rain – the lyrics of Bob Dylan’s song pset to photographs. It was quite striking – check out the website: http://www.hardrainproject.com/exhibition.htm

I then headed into town and tried to find a call phone. While I abhor the lack of competition in NZ there is too much choice here -not only of companies, but also plans or lack thereof.

I then walked up the Mound to New College and also sussed out where I’ll be living g soon. Then i walked across the Royal mile and down into the main University Area. There isnn’t much of a campus to speak of – it is mixed up with houses and shops and parks. But I’m sure it will have its own charm. I found a new favourite bookstore Word Power and had a feed at a wholefood cafe.

It is hard to believe that I’m fianlly here in Edinburgh. I feel a bit like Burt Munro in the the World’s Fastest Indian – having a dream and seeing it through.While I don’t expect to set a world record (a meaningless concept in theology) I hope to do some good and have some adventures. Stay tuned.

Old Stuff I’m Finding

23 Thursday Aug 2007

Posted by radiescent in politics

≈ Leave a comment

In packing for Edinburgh I’m going through lots of old papers. Here are some highlights (in no special order.

PETITION FOR THE RETURN OF TELECOM TO PUBLIC OWNERSHIP by SPOT (Society for Publicly Owned Telecommunications) , 1998. Their reasons:

  1. Telecom rips us all off
  2. Telecom sacks thousands and bashes workers
  3. Telecom abuses its monopoly
  4. Service has deteriorated
  5. Negative social impact – cellphone towers
  6. Political interference

Since 1998 SPOT has been vindicated – only this morning we hear about disgruntled XTRA customers. Shame on you Telecom.

TOBY RUSHBROOK was my person of the year in 1994. I have a clipping of him from the Evening Post’s roundup of that year. He was the seventh former from Burnside High School who challenged Prime Minister Jim Bolger to acknowledge that the poor and hungry are with us in New Zealand. Bolger didn’t appreciate that; I did. Good on him.

EAST TIMOR was big news in the mid-1990s. I wrote to Don McKinnon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, several times about the issue. In one reply he wrote:

New Zealand is opposed to the acquisition of territory by force. As stated by the Foreign Minister in 1978, however, our judgement is that “the integration of East Timor with Indonesia is irreversible. No useful purpose is served by denying this….”.

…

We have, and will continue to convey the concerns of New Zealanders to Indonesian authorities at all levels. New Zealand Embassy personnel visit the island regularly and follow the situation closely. Our objective, however, is to achieve results, not generate headlines.

The Bible, Theology and the Environment

06 Monday Aug 2007

Posted by radiescent in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY & RELIGIOUS STUDIES

is having an Open Lecture Series on

The Bible, Theology and the Environment

“The Bible and the Environment”
Dr James Harding and Professor Paul Trebilco
Archway 2, Wed 15 August 7.30 pm

~~~~~~~~~~~

“God and Creation: A Theological Framework for Environmental Ethics”
Dr Murray Rae
Archway 2, Wed 22 August 7.30 pm

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Environmental Ethics in the Light of Jesus Christ”
Professor Ivor Davidson
Archway 2, Wed 12 Sept 7.30 pm

Readers may also be interested in my essay on this topic:
For a Creaturely Ethos Colin Gunton’s Doctrine of Creation and the Ecological Crisis

Recent Posts

  • Parihaka Sources and Resources
  • Unlimited competition is wrong
  • Reflection in PTC Chapel on Acts 8:26-40 (23 April 2018)
  • Luther on the Scientific and Theological Understanding of the Rainbow
  • That Christianity and Anarchism Should Be Friends

Archives

  • November 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • February 2017
  • November 2016
  • August 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • July 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • December 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • October 2011
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • April 2009
  • February 2009
  • November 2008
  • September 2008
  • April 2008
  • February 2008
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007

Categories

  • activism
  • anarchism
  • blogging
  • books
  • capitalism
  • Catholic Social Teaching
  • Catholic Worker
  • chaplains
  • Christian Anarchism
  • Christian ethics
  • church
  • church & state
  • climate change
  • community
  • conference
  • creation
  • democracy
  • distributism
  • Dunedin
  • economics
  • Edinburgh
  • education
  • Ellul
  • environment
  • ethics
  • exile
  • Fiji
  • food
  • forgiveness
  • Holy Spirit
  • human rights
  • humor
  • internet
  • Japan
  • justice
  • Kingdom of God
  • Kiwi Culture
  • lectionary
  • Luther
  • management
  • mission
  • money
  • movies
  • munro-bagging
  • pacifism
  • PCANZ
  • peace
  • people
  • PhD
  • politics
  • poverty
  • PTC
  • Public Theology
  • Quotes
  • religion
  • research
  • Scotland
  • sermon
  • state
  • teaching
  • technology
  • theology
  • tramping
  • travel
  • Uncategorized
  • videos
  • violence
  • war
  • website
  • work
  • worship

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy