Decaff is your friend, unless you are a coffee snob. Personally I can't taste the difference (but I can tell the difference in terms of its effect.) No idea how easy it is to get when abroad, or in the Lithuanian Embassy,but easy to get in UK.

I understand your frustration, but where are you going to deport them to? We certainly don't want them in the UK...

It's not just the leadership, though; it's the whole Reform project. Linda Kemkarian is faithfully following the Reform agenda, which is not only inhumane but also unworkable. Changing her for another leader who also follows faithfully the Reform project won't achieve anything.

Scoville scale - Wikipedia

What you're wanting is the Scoville Scale. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scovill...

My (white British) 1960s childhood was full of aunties and uncles who were friends of my parents rather than blood relations. It was just considered the polite way for children to address them. It took me ages to work out who actually was an aunt or uncle.

@theguardian.com, @rorycarroll.bsky.social & Angela Giuffrida There's no such thing as 'a reverend'. Reverend is a title not a role. It's like 'mrs'. You wouldn't refer to someone as 'a mrs'. The word you were looking for here was 'minister'.

I would be intrigued to see the 'photograph of Edward the Confessor' which the King has given to the Pope. Taken on a very old Box Brownie, perhaps...

"Dear Sweet Blessed Little Baby Jesus, please watch over our armed thugs as they turn away the stranger, persecute the foreigner and harm the least of our brothers and sisters."

He article clearly highlights Kirk's divisive views. I don't think anyone could read it as promoting her.

Probably worth having a quiet word with the teacher. Having no lunch may be a sign of poverty, but it could also be a sign of abuse. I know no one wants to risk being accused of meddling, but if you don't say anything and later there is a tragedy that would be worse.

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.”

A Leviticus quote to remember when nativist authoritarians rant about "Judeo-Christian values".

Mine seem to have magenta, various shades of orange and red flowers, so I guess it's just coincidence - or maybe all the seeds somehow came from the same plant.

Yes, I got the reference to Life of Brian, but no, it's not like the Jusean People's Front, or the Popular Front of Judea. I was just answering your question...

The nearest analogy would be the Commonwealth.

No. The Anglican Communion is a family of independent churches, not competing ones.

I agree with your sentiments, but actually Desmond Tutu worked for the Anglican Church in South Africa, not the Church of England. The Anglican Communion is a worldwide family of churches, but each Province (the church in each nation) is independent.

Using 'commit to' as an intransitive verb. It needs an object. You have to commit something to something otherwise it's meaningless. 'We commit ourselves/our money/our time to the project' is fine. 'We commit to the project' allows you to sound positive without actually giving anything concrete.

My experience is that every funeral expresses the different core values of the family concerned - there isn't really an average case - and families want what they want for a great variety of reasons. Thinking/talking about death is great, but it may lead people in very different directions.

I wonder if there are some false dichotomies here. Speaking as a priest, I have led many very simple funerals, including green burials. (Embalming isn't standard in the UK where I am). It's family/social pressures and the funeral industry which lead to elaborate ceremonies.

I used to stick a poster up outside my church inviting people in to come in and enjoy the cool on days like this. (Now retired, but hoping someone thinks of it).

And as they say, a stranger is a friend you haven't met yet. Beautiful poem.

'tis the first rose of summer. 🌱
Joseph's Coat. #Gardening

Help us challenge the Supreme Court’s judgment on trans rights | Good Law Project

Labour's new policy - of humiliating trans people by requiring them constantly to self-identify - we believe puts the UK (again) in breach of its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and will seek a declaration of incompatability. goodlaw.social/0r6l

Male or female? Babies born on the sliding sex scale Babies born neither male nor female and their families face many challenges, including living with feelings of shame and secrecy. How do they combat this?

It's not that simple, and they don't always get it right. www.bbc.com/news/health-...

It reminds me of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, which often seemed to enlist young people to denounce their elders. It didn't end well...

Art made with teeth; on the first, a serpent enwraps a man with a strange face looking on; on the second, two figures throw bodies onto a fire

One of the most common ways to curse someone is to use their teeth: take a tooth and you have a direct connection to their bones, so medieval European thought went, and thus witches sought teeth. Folklorists suggest this may be the origins of the tooth fairy. #FolkloreSunday

Basically this, I think.
exploringmindsblog.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/t...

To be fair, also the fall of the Berlin Wall, but yes, round tea bags were pretty exciting/controversial. I recall being bothered by the non-tessalation and therefore inevitable waste of the bits between the circles...

A mosaic of an owl, with part of the black and white corner of the mosaic border above him. The owl is a mess. He honestly looks like he hasn't slept for days.

We're celebrating, as ever, the start of Super Bowl 2025 with this Superb Owl.
🦉

I know everyone is leaping on this as if it's something strange, but it's normal practice to invite suggestions and consult widely in appointments for C of E bishops, including consulting people outside the Church. Bluesky is meant to care about facts, so wanted to set the record straight.