Spirit21 » interesting

Asian Women of Achievement awards – nominate now

shelina — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:46:00 +0000

The Asian Women of Achievement awards are now in their eleventh year, aiming to honour the vibrant contributions of Asian women across all aspects of life and unearth inspiring and humbling stories of achievement.

Nominations for the 2010 event are now open and you can nominate someone you know, or even yourself! Categories are: Art and Culture, Public Sector, Social and Humanitarian, Business Woman, Entrepreneur, Media, Professional, Young Achiever and the Asian Woman of the Year Award.

Nominations close on Friday March 5, 2010. You can see more info here, and download the nomination forms. It’s a great chance for Asian Women to be recognised for all their incredible achievements.

(although where is the one we most expect Asians to honour – Mum of the Year??!! Is that too typical?)

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Save the Children’s World Record Run this weekend…

shelina — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:52:00 +0000

I’m not one that usually advertises many other events on my blog, but this one caught my attention: Save the Children, and a new charity called IF which seeks to raise money for worthwhile causes through fun and innovative ideas, are staging a World Record breaking attempt for “the most people running 100 meters in a 12-hour relay.” (according to the Guinness book of records official title). I think the number will be around 3000 – 4000 people, who will run in relay at Mile End Stadium, and hopefully bring the record in for London. Each runner is being asked for £100 sponsorship minimum, which means that the run could raise upwards for £300,000, which will be donated to Save the Children’s Humanitarian fund for Gaza.

It’s great to see innovative ideas for fundraising, especially those which challenge the participants themselves. I wish all the runners well.

You can read more here, and of course, remember to get out your chequebook, or access your paypal account: http://www.ifcharity.com/gaza100.html

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"Conversations on Religion" book launch

shelina — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:34:00 +0000

Tomorrow is the launch of a new book entitled Conversations on Religion edited by Mick Gordon and Chris Wilkinson. “A stimulating collection of interviews on the subject of religion and belief, including high-profile names such as Richard Dawkins, Rowan Williams and Jonathan Sacks.” Here is the blurb:

Conversations On Religion addresses questions such as; How do we define religion? Can we define faith? Why in our twenty first century world are so many people religious? and What should our ambition for religion be?

Mick Gordon and Chris Wilkinson explore these questions together with 18 well-known religious thinkers and commentators, including: AC Grayling, Giles Fraser, Rowan Williams, Lewis and Matthew Wolpert, Don Cuppit, Muhammad Yusuf Al-Hussaini, Tariq Ramadan, John Gray, Alistair McGrath, Abdelwahab El Affendi, Richard Dawkins, Julia Neuberger, Fraser Watts, Azzam Tamimi, Ann Widdecombe, Karen Armstrong, Shelina Janmohamed, and Jonathan Sacks.

The result is a fascinating insight into human nature. We human beings are strange in our commitment to beliefs which we inherit, imbibe and choose. We find them difficult to let go. For better and for worse, this is our commonality. The task is to better understand and attempt to take responsibility for those different beliefs and positions which seem to mean so much to us. Conversations on Religion is an important part of that process.

Yes, well-spotted! There is a chapter with me amongst all the well-known names, reflecting on what faith and religion mean to me, and answering some of the questions that come up time and again about extremism, Muslim women and organised religion.

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Spirit21 reveals The Magic Muslims…

shelina — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:34:00 +0000

Spirit21 is proud to reveal The Magic Muslims – Ordinary Muslims with Extraordinary Powers. Fun-loving, quirky and joyful in life, once you’ve met them, you’ll want to keep coming back for more. Any Muslim you meet could be a MagicMuslim – a quiet superhero trying to bring happiness, humour and compassion to the world.

I’m really excited to bring you these characters – created and commissioned as original Superheroes by Spirit21 for everyone to enjoy and interact with. Every month or so a new cartoon with the characters will be published, so you can check out their antics in the world. I hope you enjoy them, as much as I enjoyed creating them. Please share your comments and thoughts, but do remember the copyright!

Make sure you get to know The Magic Muslims better here

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Couples not sleeping together, teddy bears instead?

shelina — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:59:00 +0000

In the US, couples are sleeping in separate rooms. But apparently it’s not to do with relationships falling apart, but about keeping them together. Three-quarters of Americans say they often wake up during the night or snore, and lack of sleep makes one or both partners grumpy.

It’s becoming less shameful to have separate bedrooms, report a number of news sites, including for example ABC News who quote: “Builders say buyers often ask for separate his-and-her bedrooms. In fact, in a National Association of Home Builders survey, builders predicted 60 percent of custom homes would be built with two master bedrooms by 2015.

“He works late…She e-mails. … Whatever the reason, people really just want their privacy and their alone time,” said Carol Wall, president of Mitchell Wall Architects. “It’s just a new lifestyle choice.” “

They won’t be called Master suites anymore (too masculine) but rather flex suites or owners’ suites.

However, in a survey commissioned by Travelodge in the UK, they found that nearly three in five people felt lonely sleeping without their partner, while 16% found it difficult to get to sleep and 9% felt scared. Eight per cent of women said they spray their pillow or nightclothes with their partner’s aftershave when away from home on their own. But only 3% of men resorted to using their partner’s perfume to offset loneliness.

Much more interesting though was the discovery that more men than women take teddy bears to bed when sleeping alone. Some 20% of men admitted to cuddling a teddy, compared to 15% of women, reports Sky News.

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