Many people feel despondent and helpless in the face of the human suffering caused by wars and natural disasters, in which children often suffer the most. Yet some of us have discovered how one of the everyday things we do makes a real difference.
I work as a magistrate and one day one of the court clerks saw me knitting in the retiring room. "Ah," she said. "Aha...!". And thus I came to be caught up in the Teddies for Tragedies network.

The first Teddies went out to the Sudan in 1985 where some ECC nurses were setting up a temporary orphanage in a refugee camp for 2,000 children with TB. Doctors then found that children who had a Teddy to cuddle recovered more quickly. One doctor said Teddies did more good than the medicine.

"Cheer up the children, give them some hope, and you are well on the road to putting them right." The Teddies are often the only thing the children own.

Each child gets to keep their Teddy and take it home, so the doctors need a constant supply.

Teddies have gone to places like Peru, Zambia, Jamaica, Romania, Armenia, Croatia. A consignment of Teddies went to Uganda where they were sorely needed by orphanages to "help make children back into children". Although Uganda is now enjoying comparative peace children are still found wandering about with guns in their hands, many having lost both parents.
Many organisations have joined in as well as individuals; the WRVS, Mothers‚ Unions, Churches, some Friends Meetings. If you would like to knit a teddy, I can send you the pattern, which must be the same for all, though the colours change according to oddments of wool available. Otherwise - we need wool, stuffing material, bear bags (13 inches x 10 inches).

I think of it as a tide of love going out to third world and disaster torn countries. Giving a child hope has knock-on effects - like dropping a pebble in a pond. Like a smile!

Bernice Taylor

It's intriguing to discover that the Guardian newspaper has a reverse problem to The Friend. Whereas our readers berate us because there's not enough religion – and particularly Christianity - in the paper, Guardian readers apparently blanch when there's too much. Witness the current dialogue on the Guardian's website between the reader's editor and his readers. One had written scathingly – 'yet another religious article! Please could you tell me why there is now so much religion in the Guardian? What prompted this move to go from being a secular paper to the most religious of all the papers?'

Poor Ian! Such ingratitude! And is it true?

After one of those electronic searches which are so popular today in settling arguments, he found that the paper did indeed lead the field in mentioning Christianity – from 770 mentions in 1985 to 2,341 in 2005, which was more than the other papers.

The complaining readers were obviously not aware of the newspaper's roots in non-conformist Christianity. But the older staff were. Ian conducted an internal poll and the northern editor pointed out that the paper's legacy was Quaker and Unitarian. 'John Edward Taylor, the founder, was the son of a Quaker and became one of the largely Unitarian circle who founded the Guardian…C.P. Scott (its influential early editor) was the son of a Unitarian minister.' The northern editor suggests that 'Quakerism and Unitarianism' share a moral imperative for social action 'which the Guardian exemplifies.'
That disgruntled reader might do well to read the 1821 prospectus for the (then) Manchester Guardian which promises the paper will 'zealously enforce the principles of civil and religious liberty'.

Coming climate change presses ever more in on us, but more it seems, right now for some wildlife. One Wildlife Trust has reported that Mountain Hares and Stoats are having a confusing time with their winter coats. The stoat (Mustela erminea) changes its brown coat to a winter white (ermine) so that it can merge into its snowy surroundings and hunt – and avoid being hunted – more effectively. The Mountain Hare has a similar wardrobe change. But, alas, there is less snow now. According to the Trust in question, the traditional adaptation is now more a hindrance than a help, and reports that some of the animals are retaining their summer colours. 'A snow-free hillside is no place for a brilliant white hare' it points out, and wonders whether there will be a permanent change in survival techniques.

Of course, the National Wildlife Trust's president, David Bellamy, has some rather controversial views on global warming which have not warmed him to many environmentalists. Professor Bellamy has made his position plain: 'I believe in climate change – when John Ray was alive 300 years ago there was a “mini-Ice Age”. I am sceptical about man-made global warming being the major part of the current climate change. Some of the change may be the natural recovery from the “Little Ice Age”. Carbon dioxide is a fertiliser, as it increases so does plant biomass. I'm worried about natural climate change, for we can't stop that.'

How many Friends have seen the Sustainable Development Commission's survey of faith communities and their efforts at greening?

Jonathon Porritt chairs this quango and it had the creative insight to look at the many initiatives taking place across the country in church, mosque and meeting house. We are in the survey, with Dorking Meeting's project to audit the MH's environmental footprint. Renewable electricity was the first change in the building, followed by extra recycling points for material not taken by the local authority. Externally, the changes had funding help from the waste management company SITA, and Friends paid for internal improvement.

For all this work Dorking earned the EcoCongregation award in 2003. The Meeting has an environmental policy now for anyone hiring the building. Eye understands that other meeting houses have approached Dorking for advice.

So what is the Sustainable Development Commission? The report says: 'we are the Government's independent advisors on sustainable development issues and report to the Prime Minister and Devolved Administration leaders.' Friends can reach them via their website at www.sd-commission.org.uk.

The Friends United Meeting asks:

"Langley Hills Friends Meeting, where Tom Fox attends, is in prayer each day at 7.00 a.m. and 7.00 p.m. Eastern Standard time (US). You are invited to join in prayer with this meeting at these times or at 7.00 your time wherever you are in the world so that our globe is wrapped in prayer."


The following prayer has been received at The Friend from friends of Norman Kember, who is being held in Iraq with Tom Fox, James Loney and Harmeet Sooden at the time of going to press. It was adapted from a Baptist Peace Fellowship prayer, probably by Norman.

Gracious Father
We pray for peace in our world
For all national leaders
That they may have wisdom to know
And courage to do what is right;

For all men and women
That our hearts may be turned to
You in the search for righteousness and truth;

For those who are working to improve
international relationships,
That they may find the true way of reconciliation.

For those who suffer as a result of war;
The injured and disabled,
The mentally distressed,
The homeless and hungry,
Those who mourn for their dead,
And especially for those
Who are without hope or friend
To sustain them in their grief.

Amen

Eye has done some further investigating about the claims that Osama Bin Laden attended a Quaker school. As Dom Joly’s family lived near Brummana School in Lebanon, which was a Quaker school until the mid 1980s, if Osama Bin Laden had attended a Quaker school, it would probably have been Brummana not Ramallah. So apologies for the incorrect query last week. Eye had a conversation with the daughter of the headmaster of Brummana from 1968-1975 covering the period when Osama Bin Laden was rumoured to have attended. She tells Eye that Dom Joly was in her sister’s class and that two of Osama Bin Laden’s half-brothers did attend Brummana but as far as her father can remember Osama Bin Laden was not a student there. Eye reminds readers that OBL was not persona non grata in those days.

The Friend has received a lot of correspondence about the four peaceworkers, Tom Fox, Norman Kember, James Loney and Harmeet Sooden, being held captive in Iraq.
The following is a letter about Tom Fox received from Chuck Fager of Quaker House in North Carolina.
Friends,
Tom Fox is a friend of mine. He is also a Quaker who has borne a long and hazardous personal witness for peace in the midst of an immoral and unchristian war.
Tom and I were members of Langley Hilll Monthly Meeting in Virginia for many years. Our children grew up together there, and they are still in touch, though scattered across the country. Tom himself was very kind to me in a time of my personal need.
I spoke with Tom at Baltimore YM last summer, between his missions in Iraq. He seemed very aware of the dangers of his peace work, but quite calm and almost serene about facing them.
I pray that Tom Fox and his companions will be released safely and soon. To his captors I say, harming any of them will only bring dishonor on your cause, whatever that may be. And to the US government which launched this immoral and unchristian war in Iraq, I say, ending it and bringing our soldiers home is the best way to ensure the safety not only of Tom and his co-workers, but of the Iraqi people as well.
Others may also have information and memories about Tom. I last heard from Tom in an email in September, as he was preparing to return to Iraq. It was short, and I will include here only the quotation with which he ended it. It is from Hildegard of Bingen, but it could just as well be from Tom himself, and expresses his sweet spirit:
“Holy Spirit, giving life to all beings, moving all creatures, root of all things, washing them clean, wiping out their mistakes, healing their wounds, you are our true life, luminous, wonderful, awakening the heart from its ancient sleep.”
Chuck Fager, Director
Quaker House, Fayetteville NC
chuckfager@aol.com
www.quakerhouse.org
Chuck is also maintaiing a website with action that people can take at www.freethecaptivesnow.org. CPT has the latest news, campaign and vigil information at http://cpt.org/.

Richard Seebohm liked our little bee story (Friend, 18 November). He tells us –'this quote from Tolstoy, which I got from the biography of B Seebohm Rowntree by Asa Briggs, has for a long time been inspirational to me – 'It all lies in the fact that men think there are circumstances when one may deal with human beings without love; and there are no such circumstances. One may cut down trees, make bricks and hammer iron without love; but you cannot deal with men without it, just as you cannot deal with bees without being careful. If you deal carelessly with bees, you will injure them and will yourself be injured. And so with men.'

Eye hesitates to ask readers if they watch the Richard and Judy Show, but a most bizarre item was spotted on this TV programme recently by Linda Singer of Reading MM. She was watching an interview with the comedian Dom Joly.

'He spoke of attending a Quaker school in Ramallah, with Osama Bin Laden as a classmate!' says a startled Linda. 'Is this something you could look into? An interesting, if not proud connection.'

Our investigations have not revealed anything so far, but if anyone knows what this connection might be, let us know!