wee beautiful pict

global meltdown: what's in 'your' urban saint survival toolkit?

Feature Post: In this Scotland's 'Year of homecoming'  I'm using me blog to look at what's a happening around a scotland coming out of the mists of an auld world - a world where christianity was in bed with empire - into raging economic meltdown (thaw?).  Can this christianity be rehabilitated in time? it has a crackin story! can it be unfrozen from its entombment to stand before world empires in its robes of comedy and humanity?  

To kick off, here are 3 things we lost under the snow that are erupting all over the world right as acts of defiance and tools of resistance to empire in a global age:   1. outrageous prayer, 2.  gift-economy and 3. imaginative comic non-violent guerilla action... ring any bells with an ancient near east movement sparked off by a young activist called Jesus and brutally put down by the empire of their day?  check it oot!..

the manifesto

The Manifesto is a website just launched - which Anna Bryon was speaking to me about recently:

Creating a future scotland that is healed o its colonial sickness is definitely my bag.. this sounds really promising.. I like their 2 projects - 'africa & identity' and 'transforming scotland'

I like that they recognised the importance of critiquing power and economic relations of our tartan scottish colonialism in the past (and present) AND struggling to create a new haggisland that disnae play these same auld games in the future...

 in their ane words...

Big Edinburgh tARTan Peacepipe || tour - one kilt many colours!

edinburgh tartan peacepipe video part 1 -password: peacepipe  or for all 3 videos - go here

 

who says ye canny do amazing cinematography on a domestic camcorder - check this:

HV20 - Rainy Day Cinematography from Solomon Chase on Vimeo

Jesus @ the FRINGE 2006: hilarious and dangerous as ever!

Jesus is hanging out with us at the fringe this year - he loves it!
DJhaggis and Wee pict (and Jesus- wee pict thinks) recommend the comedy stuff about God, Jesus and religion is top this year (Jesus can take it - he's a big boy, wee pict says), here's a few out of abot 20 comedy shows featured in 'the list mag' that sound pretty good, if we get to them we'll review:

   Abie Philpin Bowman,'Jesus: the guantanamo years': one of the most glaringly controversial shows at the fringe so say 'the list' - casting Christ as a stand up comedian.

Jesus Christ (Son of God and father of modern stand-up) returns to earth for His long-awaited comeback tour. He doesn’t get past U.S. immigration: He’s a bearded, Middle-Eastern guy, fully prepared to die as a religious martyr. He's immediately detained under the Patriot Act. In His first one-man show for almost two millennia, Jesus talks candidly about His time in Guantanamo, His controversial relationship with His Father, and His on-going legal battle with 'The Life of Brian'.
(more/reviews)

'exposing the pomposity of organised religion is central to Abie's show (also a big part of jesus 'show' in 1st C palestine -especially when he poked fun at the dehumanising empire/religious powers of his day among the poor who were relentlessly, daily, being abused, bashed, crushed and tricked/coopted by them) (djhaggis)

'laughter is the ultimate celebration of creation, yet not a single major religion encourages it: why?
It's because COMEDY encourages us to THINK critically and lAUGH AT THOSE IN AUTHORITY'
Abie goes on to emphasise how jesus...stressed independant thinking... and...

Latest: Edinburgh Tartan Saints News...

Andrew Philip, Edinburgh's fiery tongue - Poet, is on tonight (may 22nd) at: The Village, down in Leith, Edinburgh 8 - 11pm, £3 - (part of the EDRUSH FESTIVAL)

other intrepid Saints- Anneleen, Chris, Stuart and others have finished production/editing their 2min film for 'cabtivate' - and just added the music score - filmed in over 30 locations around edinburgh -more later!

Doogs, follower o' Christ, apprentice zombie, has released his next edition of LIVIMS radio show - No.7 - now streaming here - gettin better n better!

and his latest posting is a cracker by the way:

'...becoming vulnerable and pursuing God is hard. The robotic urge to switch off and feel no more appeals to the idea of being strong and invulnerable (a true Scots trait?), but will leave us like rusting tin cans at the end of time'....'Ma wee egocentric corner of creation needs to change... needs to be open to change'

Anneleen and Ems - got a house in Granton - now moved in.  A couple of fun loving creative risk-taking saints - a smashing chunky hoose...great!  Even better - they and their friends there are discovering this open secret of the ancient gospel-to-the-poor:

Incar-nation across the nation = Christ is ALREADY in ALL our housin estates!

wee pict: aye! revival is already here, saints o scotland -ye just need tae open wide yer eyes n unblock yer bunged up ears!

Dave Martin, another saint, artist and friend, popped by today - finalising his preparations for 3 months of middle/eastern European artistic, hermetic quest - gettin tae the roots; getting to the real truth of european civilisation - threading through its ancient monasteries, coptic outcrops and desert father/mother caves - starting with my favourite: anthony of egypt - places and stories crackling with the birth of 'the way'.  And then, rushed off to arrange MamaPopcorn Crew's night out at a location here in Edinburgh: celebrating their successful hit show at the Bongo Club.

With his new web-enabled phone and typepad blog - we should be able to track his journey and artistic jottings/thoughts/ideas as he travels - more info later!  Some of us will be visiting him at different stages of his journey.  An Edinburgh based Art show will feature works from his travels on his return. 

Christ before you - Christ and all of us around you -
Christ in every land - underneath every step you take..
GO! with love fae Scotland - Dave!
aye- n hurry back!

Welcome to EdRush Festival 2006

EdRush Festival 2006 - community arts festival - 'by Edinburgh for edinburgh' - Chris Brown and Doogs, both involved, have been chattin about it - it's now on! - across edinburgh at a venue near you!

what's been happening?

Andrew Philip - does stunning poetry, has a new blog: tonguefire.blogspot.com - recently won: 2005 amnesty International competition weel done!

Me mates Dave Martin and Phil McB are up to all kinds o stuff;  Dave does stunning paintings - has just won big scottish prize: Alaistar Salvesen Travel Scholarship, currently he is planning his trip - starting in the middle east and ending in eastern europe. Check out the mad itinerary.   Ends with a solo exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy.  I'm going to try and visit in the middle easy or eastern europe bit of his journey. Oh and he is also working on the next Mama Popcorn night - probably  in the Bongo Club.  Andrew wrote great poetry for Dave's last art show, check it out in: Dave's sketchblog.

Phil McBride, dave M and Co. (Boogaloo Bothy) have been busy organising line ups/performers for nights No. 3 and 4 (see events section) - lookin good! Next one will be busy Phil says - so get in early!

Ian Ansdell of: www.scottishchristian.com has setup a message board for new / emerging / next generation scottish saints.

Doogs has announced 24-2 48 hr prayer event in livingston (see entry below and events section)
and his latest LIVIMS radio show is a real smasher

Me and John Drummond hung out with Randy last week; he has a dream for developing a top mobile citywide edinburgh music resource for Edinburgh's kids - citywide, in conjunction with schools. Meeting up again next week.

Met with Phil Holden who works with kids in Dumbiedykes estate next to the parliament and is developing a social networking site - even more exciting than upcoming.org.  He has some ideas for experimenting with it in conjunction with events like dream day. He and friends were part of that recent campaign to stop the gov privatisation of council house stock. (many at risk would have fallen through the gap which would have been left) THEY WON.

He has a heart and a dream for Dumbiedykes estate and is presently looking for another saint to work alongside him there.