A chat with the Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

“The real challenge in the Church is to find good disagreement.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury knows that there is division within the Church of England. It’s something he doesn’t shy away from, but something he doesn’t quite know how to sort out. The challenge he faces is to promote unity within the Church and keep everyone friendly.

I met the Archbishop at Bablake, the school I attended in Coventry, where he spent the day promoting inter-faith peace and reconciliation. Meeting faith leaders from across the city, including Greek Orthodox, Buddhist and Muslim leaders, the Most Reverend spoke of a "commitment within Coventry to peace and reconciliation" and said that the "mutual understanding between faiths benefits young people in the city."

The Most Reverend told me that he loves meeting other faith leaders, something he does a lot. “The challenge, as I've said to people today, is finding ways to be honest. There is too much being nice and polite, we should be able to be completely honest with each other, even though we have different faiths, and say 'I don't like that' or 'that makes me uneasy'."

He continued by noting that "peace and reconciliation doesn't mean synchronism, it doesn't mean we all agree. The challenge is to find good disagreement and show respect towards each other." Ven Lobsang Dawa, a Buddhist monk in the Tibetan tradition based in Coventry, said he was "impressed with how much time the Archbishop had for everyone and how genuinely interested he was in listening to the other faith leaders".

Baptised myself by the Archbishop, in his first ever ministerial role as Curate of All Saints Chilvers Coton church in Nuneaton, it was amazing as a person of faith to be in the company of such a peaceful and devoted man. He was thrilled to hear that I have kept my faith and to hear that I have recently reaffirmed my baptism at St Nic’s in Nottingham. He had time for me and wanted to hear my story, something you might expect a person of his gravitas to have very little time for.

I raised the issue of gay marriage as an example of the difference and controversy within the Church of England. He smiled knowingly – this is a debate the Most Reverend Justin Welby has had before.

“I don’t have a personal problem with gay people or gay marriage. I have gay friends and I support their relationships. The problem comes when we turn to scripture… it’s complicated. What do you think?”

It is a complex issue and one that looks like it will never be resolved. So many priests have voiced their opinions regarding the matter and I could tell that the Archbishop is clearly the man that listens to many of their concerns. While we didn't solve the problem in our quick chat, I was struck by the intelligent and thoughtful air that the Archbishop exudes. His mission was to promote peace, and such a genuine and peaceful man completed that task with ease.

The Most Reverend told me it was “wonderful” to be back in Coventry, having been ordained at Coventry Cathedral many years ago. “I love it here. I have to ration my visits here otherwise the other cities get grumpy”, he laughed.

Proper Procrastination

It’s exam time again, and that can mean only one thing: I suddenly have an overwhelming, irreversible obsession with procrastination.

Things that have happened to me this exam season:

1. Online shopping is my new passion. I'm getting so good I might have to write it under the 'Skills' section of my CV. 

2. Daily Mail articles are fascinating. That's high quality journalism right there, folks. 

3. Films are MY LIFE. I've watched Frozen ten times now. It's so deep and meaningful, you know?

I have to admit, procrastination has taken over my life. And I’m sure I’m not the only one – if you’re reading this, it’s probably because you are procrastinating. But no need to look so worried, I'm not going to shout and make you feel like an awful student. 

In fact, I’m going to tell you why procrastination might actually be really helpful. But before I do that, here are some fun but completely useless facts just to make this look even more like procrastination.

Did you know any of these facts?

•         Shakespeare invented the word “assassination” and “bump.”
•          For every 230 cars that are made, 1 will be stolen.
•          The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Libraries.
•          One in eight million people has progeria, a disease that causes people to grow faster than they age.
•          All polar bears are left-handed.
•          Bulgarians are known to be the biggest yogurt eaters in the world.

Anyway, back to the point: procrastination can be beneficial. Often we procrastinate because we are unsure of how to start a task, or we are avoiding something we think will be hard or take a long time. For example, when I sat down to write this post, I had no idea what to write – so I found myself on the internet, procrastinating. 

Having bought two new dresses online and checked Facebook and Twitter countless times, I found myself on www.psychologytoday.com, reading an article entitled ‘Can Procrastination Ever Be a Good Thing?’ My instant reaction was, I hope so! The author of the post, Pamela Wiegartz, has a Ph.D, so she must know what she is talking about, and here is what she had to say:

1. Procrastination has its benefits. I know right, this is pretty mind-blowing. 

2. Some procrastinators delay tasks deliberately, because they prefer to work under pressure. These people are called active procrastinators.

3. Procrastinating can help people feel in control of their time, and use it better.

4. Others, referred to as passive procrastinators, let their procrastination tasks dominate their day and have no control over their procrastination.

5. Active procrastinators are less avoidant, have lower stress levels, and higher self-efficacy than passive procrastinators.

It is better, then, to actively procrastinate. This allows us to cope with our tasks, but also manage our time effectively and not allow the procrastination to dominate the majority of our time. Procrastination gives us a break from the anxiety felt about the task, and in my case, and make the task a lot easier to handle, as my procrastination gave me the idea for my post!

On the other hand, uncovering your old Nintendo DS while unpacking your uni stuff and playing Mario Kart and Super Mario Bros. for the next five hours probably isn’t that helpful. (Though I did manage to finally conquer Level 7 of Super Mario Bros. after what has been a particularly long break from the game!)

Just don’t forget to be an active, not a passive, procrastinator. As long as you are careful not to let procrastination tasks dominate your day, you can successfully revise and have a bit of fun at the same time!

Now, I must go – I’ve scheduled myself another procrastination break. Now I’ve completed Level 7 of Super Mario Bros., I think it’s about time I challenged myself to complete Level 8, don’t you?

Joan Rivers in deep water again

Joan Rivers has caused controversy again by telling Howard Stern that the message given across by Lena Dunham is "Stay fat. Get diabetes".

After previously calling Dunham a "little fat chick", Rivers suggested her apology for that previous comment was meaningless, asking recently how Dunham could "wear a dress above the knee". 

Dunham, creator and lead actress of hit TV show Girls, has been praised for her healthy body philosophy, and rejecting pressure to lose weight.

Rivers however sent this message to Dunham: "I'm saying if you look the way you look, Lena - and that's fine and you're funny - but don't say it's okay that other girls can look like this. Try to look better. Try to look better!"

It's not the first time the comedian has caused a stir with her 'humour'. In February 2013, Rivers caused a stir after she labelled Heidi Klum a Nazi. 

Commenting on Klum's show stopping gold dress for the Oscars, Rivers remarked, "The last time a German looked this hot was when they were pushing Jews into the ovens". 

Many were seriously offended by Rivers' comments. The Anti-Defamation League noted that Rivers, herself a Jew, "should know better". 

They were shocked that the comment, "so vulgar and offensive to Jews and Holocaust survivors, and indeed to all Americans" was even allowed to be broadcast. 

Rivers herself responded to the criticism, revealing that her husband "lost the majority of his family at Auschwitz" - a fact that makes her joking even more surprising.

She claims that she is simply making a point to "remind people of the Holocaust through humour". This is a particularly controversial statement which some have claimed is simply an excuse for her insensitivity. It does not appear to co-exist harmoniously with the claim on her website that Joan's "compassion and tenacity" helps her "unique brand of humour". 

Heidi Klum is not the first victim of Rivers' jokes referencing the Holocaust. After supermarket chain Costco refused to sell copies of her book, I Hate Everything... Starting With Me, she labelled it "like Nazi Germany". 

Rivers has also bad-mouthed Adele, calling her "fat". She suggested on the David Letterman Show that the singer should change the name of her song "Rolling in the Deep" to "Rolling in the Deep Fried Chicken".

She continued, "[Adele] is a chubby lady who's very, very rich". Rivers believes that she should slim down or accept the criticism. 

Comedian Adam Hills jumped straight to Adele's defence. He called Rivers a "d***" and noting that Adele was "one of the few women in pop music" he wanted his daughter to aspire to be like. 

He blasted Rivers' obsession with plastic surgery, calling for her to "get a plastic surgeon to manufacture [herself] a new soul".

In January this year, Rivers called Kim Kardashian's new baby "ugly". She said that, in her opinion, baby North West was "desperately in need of a waxing". 

When Kim first revealed pictures of her baby to the world, many commented on North's thick, dark eyebrows. However, many commentators believe that Rivers has gone too far with her comments, which are often found offensive. 

Rivers' own website calls her "a force of nature" and an "entertainment legend of unparalleled accomplishment and talent". However, as the world around her shakes with anger at her comments about Lena Dunham's weight, has the self-professed "internationally renowned comedienne" gone too far this time?

Nuts to close after sales slump

Weekly ‘lads’ magazine Nuts looks set to close after a decline in sales.

Its publishers, IPC Media, have stated that the magazine has entered a 30-day consultation regarding the potential closure. The company has opened the magazine up to potential buyers.

The magazine was launched in 2004, followed closely by its biggest rival, Zoo. Its target audience was men aged 16 to 30 who were “disillusioned” with the tabloid press. It offered “girls, gadgets, footy and laughs”, and its marketing slogan was “When You Really Need Something Funny”.

The magazine has been particularly criticised in the past for its portrayal of women, declared by many to be sexist. Its peak circulation was in 2005, when it hit 306,802 readers per week. In 2013 however, that figure was just 53,342. Furthermore, the magazine receives only 8,776 digital monthly sales – clearly Nuts has failed to make the transition to a digital future.

Along with arch-rival Zoo, the weekly magazine transformed the men’s magazine market when it was started a decade ago. However, with Zoo receiving only 29,521 readers per week last year, the craze of this type of magazine looks like it is coming to an end.

Last year, both Nuts and Zoo stopped being sold at Co-op stores. The supermarket chain requested that they were given modesty bags to shield the pictures of naked women in the magazines from the shoppers. The retailer removed both Nuts and Zoo from its shelves after both publishers refused this request.

One reason given for the long-term decline of both weeklies was that readers who wanted to look at topless or naked women could do so online – where the pictures were far more risqué and, most importantly, free. 

New Year's Resolutions

Giving up chocolate failed to work again. Neither did being nicer to my little brother, but I’m not surprised about that one. But what is it about New Year’s resolutions that makes them so hard to keep? And should 2014’s resolution be to stop wasting my time making them?

In my opinion, we are becoming disillusioned with resolutions. It is becoming more about showing off something you can already do than challenging yourself to do something new. Maybe next year I should give up sprouts – at least it would be the first resolution I could actually keep!

On Valentine’s Day this year, the film About Time will become available on DVD. A fantastic, heart-warming romantic comedy, the film tells the story of Tim, who finds he has the ability to time-travel, and uses this power to win over the beautiful Mary. By the end of the film however, he has realised that rewriting the past has consequences. The following quote, from the end of the film, is one that I have thought back to many times:

“Tim: The truth is, I now don't travel back at all. Not even for the day. I just try to live every day as if I've deliberately come back to this one day to enjoy it, as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.”

There’s a lot we can learn from Tim’s resolution. None of us know which day will be our last, and I for one know that I want to fully live my last day. So why waste time? If today was to be my last day, would I have made the most of it? Would my family and friends remember me the way I want them to, or would the legacy I left be an undesirable one?

This year, I want to start living every day as if it is my last. It sounds morbid, but it has already made a real difference to my life. I still have bad days, and I still fight with my brother, but I try my best to start each day by reminding myself how lucky I am to be alive, and be as productive as I can throughout the day. Instead of promising to do things, I just do them: why wait? Today could be my last opportunity.

This new outlook on life is no doubt influenced by a shaky 2013; for me, last year included both new, exciting opportunities such as the start of university, and worry and loss, with the death of a close family member and the sudden illness of another. It was the first time I had truly understood that life is short, and instead of letting this scare me, or just ignoring it, I decided to do something about it. I decided to start living: now.

However, how long will this last? Of the three resolutions I have made, probably, and hopefully, forever. A resolution like mine is, I would argue, more of a life choice than a whimsical promise to myself. Giving up chocolate and being nicer to my brother were resolutions made for no other reason than the fact it was New Year’s Eve. That is why they won’t last – because I have no real desire to stick to either of them. My resolution to start living my life differently is a choice I made for a reason, and I did not need any excuse, like the fact that it was the start of a new year, to start it.

Maybe it’s about time I resolved to stop spending New Year’s Eve frantically thinking of a resolution to make. If I want to make a change in my life, I should just make it, without needing to wait for midnight. My friends too have stopped trying to make serious New Year’s resolutions. I leave you with a text from my friend that reveals exactly that. He is using 2014 to “properly focus on buying the orange properties in monopoly”.

Happy New Year!