The Golden Compass

reposted from: http://russellsteapot.com/comics/2007/and-his-trusty-sidekick-alter-boy.html


About Philip Pullman and His Dark Materials
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Dark_Materials

Semi-Finalists - "The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008" competition sponsored by HASSERS

Vote for your top 3 groups to go forward to the Finals (see column right - Polls).

Semi-Finalists of "The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008" competition sponsored by HASSERS are:-

1. North East Humanists
2. Suffolk Humanists
3. Devon Humanists
4. Liverpool Humanists
5. South Cheshire & North Staffordshire Humanists.
6. South West London Humanists
7. Leicester Secular Society

Winner of the North East England Humanists Groups
North East Humanists

Winner of the East Anglia Humanists Groups
Suffolk Humanists

Winner of the South West England Humanists Groups
Devon Humanists

Joint Winners of the North West England Humanists Groups

Liverpool Humanists AND South Cheshire & North Staffordshire Humanists.

Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland Groups

Organisations are either ineligible or do not meet the min. 7/10 criteria

South East England Humanists Groups

none of the websites reach the min. 7/10 criteria

Winner of the London Humanists Groups

South West London Humanists

Winner of the Midlands Groups

Leicester Secular Society

"The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008" competition sponsored by HASSERS - Midlands groups

Midlands Groups

Birmingham Humanists

• Firefox web browser crashes
• Famous Humanists quiz
• dated look and feel
• Psychology - why has Humanist movement has not grown in numbers?
• HASSERS Rating Birmingham Humanists website: 3/10

Coventry and Warwickshire Humanist Group

• not compatible with Firefox browser
• content rich site
  
• graphics (very very dated), yellow background colour
  
• links
• Robert Ingersoll
• news items (latest April 2006)
• Humanism in 4 minutes (Margaret Nelson)
• beliefs
• famous humanists
• ethics
• get out of RE lessons draft letter
• HASSERS Rating Coventry and Warwickshire Humanists website: 5/10

Leicester Secular Society

• strapline: THE OLDEST SECULAR SOCIETY IN THE WORLD — FORMED 1851
  
• blog "Leicester Secularist"
  
• history and more history
  
• menu colours, brown background
  
• join and constitution
• diary of events
• secularism links
• not all pages have link to home
• archive of photos and documents
• diary (letters etc)
• local info
• worldwide organisations
• blog and website links
• video links
• forum links
• humour
• religious links
• GP Jelliss Science pages
• Scientific Method
  
• HASSERS Rating Leicester Secular Society website: 8/10

Lichfield Humanist Group

• HASSERS Rating Leicester Secular Society website: 0/10

Northants Secular Society

• next meeting prominent
• Aims
• To lobby for an opt in policy for religious instruction in schools.
  
• To lobby the BBC on tax payer's money being used to promote religion in a disproportionate manner.
  
• Why secularism (confuses with Rationalism?)
• Ethics debate
• Comedy & Religion,
• Cloning
• Book Reviews
• Just six numbers
• Breaking the spell
• Short Essays
• Why i am an atheist
• Science links
• Brit Centre for Science Education
• Humour links
• HERB
• HASSERS Rating Northants Secular Society website: 5/10

Nottingham & East Midlands Humanist Group

• very smart, very simple new site (less is more!)
  
• HASSERS Rating Nottingham & East Midlands Humanist Group website: 4/10

Oxford Humanists

• website link does not work!
• HASSERS Rating Oxford Humanist Group website: 0/10

Shropshire Humanist Group

• website link does not work!
• HASSERS Rating Shropshire Humanist Group website: 0/10

Stoke-on-Trent Humanist Group

• HASSERS Rating Stoke-on-Trent Humanist Group website: 0/10

Welsh Marches Humanist Group

• HASSERS Rating Welsh Marches Humanist Group website: 0/10

Worcestershire Humanists

• about us
• HASSERS Rating Worcestershire Humanist Group website: 2/10

Winner of the Midlands Groups website

Congratulations to Leicester Secular Society who go forward to the semi-final of The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008 HASSERS Competition

"The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008" competition sponsored by HASSERS - London groups

Central Group

• events not listed after January 2007
• HASSERS Rating Central Group Humanists website: 3/10

South London Humanist Groups

• Archive
• no dates
• Local Groups hosted
  

• Bromley
• already rated (South East England)
  
• Croydon Humanists
• musings
• HASSERS Rating Croydon Humanists website: 2/10
• Lewisham Humanists
• colour scheme
  
• future events
• strapline: If you want world peace say no to religion
• members website
• wise words
• HASSERS Rating Lewisham Humanists website: 3/10
• South West London Humanists
• looks and feels 'professional' - great use of pictures by each topic
  
• Banners announcing next talk & more here - by Hamish MacPherson brilliant!!
• facebook page (64 members)
• what is humanism
• events
• campaigns
• charities
• links
• suggested readings
• HASSERS Rating South West London Humanists website: 7/10
• Sutton
• newsletter
• lot of topics - not well presented
• HASSERS Rating Sutton Humanists website: 6/10

Ealing Humanist Association

• dated look, use of colours is poor
• no dates of past meetings
• links - huge number but not categorised
• library - latest book 2006
• Bulletins
• one article only available on web - for others - become a EHA member (clever!!)
• HASSERS Rating Ealing Humanist Association website: 6/10

Hampstead Humanist Society

• meetup sub-site
• meetup could be a good means of attracting new members?
  
• toxic submarine yellow pages!
• venues
• HASSERS Rating Hampstead Humanist Society website: 3/10

Harrow Humanist Society

• toxic submarine yellow pages!
• events forthcoming - graphics!
• HASSERS Rating Harrow Humanist Society website: 2/10

Humanists in Havering

• HASSERS Rating Humanists in Havering website: 1/10

North London Humanist Group

• use of colour, fonts, layout and graphics
  
• HASSERS Rating North London Humanist Association website: 1/10

Watford Group

• HASSERS Rating Watford Humanist Association website: 0/10

Winner of the London Humanists Groups website

Congratulations to South West London Humanists who go forward to the semi-final of The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008 HASSERS Competition

"The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008" competition sponsored by HASSERS - South East England groups

South East England groups
Bromley Humanists

• confusing site organisation
• book reviews
• letter to Heads of Schools re: Humanist teaching.
• what is Secular Humanism?
• "Should we respect Religion" debate by Barbara Smoker
• members library
• HASSERS Rating Bromley Humanists website: 6/10

Berkshire Humanists

• slow to load
• what is humanism?
• meetings not updated
• education
• HASSERS Rating Berkshire Humanists website: 3/10

Brighton & Hove Humanists

• layout is a bit confusing
• BHH member Robert Stovold page
• links to members blogs and websites
• Why did Christians steal Christmas? from NSS or Stovold direct (not on Amazon..yet)
  
• HASSERS Rating Brighton & Hove Humanists website: 3/10

Chiltern Humanists

• HASSERS Rating Chiltern Humanists website: 0/10

East Kent Humanists

• bingo ads!
• future events
• Annual report
• newsletters
• HASSERS Rating East Kent Humanists website: 4/10

Farnham Humanist Group

• crashes Firefox browser
• scroll bar highlight important events
  
• newsletter
• events
• campaigns
• debates / events
• HASSERS Rating Farnham Humanist Group website: 6/10

Guildford Humanist Group

• HASSERS Rating Guilford Humanists website: 0/10

Isle Of Wight Humanist Group

• HASSERS Rating IOW Humanists website: 0/10

Mid Sussex Freethinkers

• emphasis on SACRE/Education issues
• one man (Andrew Edmondson)? Humanist group
  
• poll
• online forum
• mission statement
• SACRE battles
• statistics
• local campaigns
• free membership
• links
• Archive
• press coverage on local SACRE
• HASSERS Rating Mid Sussex Freethinkers website: 5/10

Milton Keynes Humanists

• HASSERS Rating Milton Keynes Humanists website: 0/10

North Herts & Beds Humanists

• aims
• Christmas
• book reviews
• In God We Doubt Confessions of a Failed Atheist By John Humphry
• forthcoming events - but none are listed
• HASSERS Rating North Herts & Beds Humanists website: 3/10

Reigate & District Humanists

• forthcoming meetings
• My Thought for the Day, by all members. Come prepared to speak for 3 or 4 minutes on “a bee in your bonnet.”
  
• HASSERS Rating Reigate & District Herts Humanists website: 3/10

South Hampshire Humanists

• neat uncomplicated design
  
• forthcoming meetings
• newsletter (not posted online)
• ask us a question form with (mandatory how did you hear about us)
• further reading
• facebook link
• links
• HASSERS Rating South Hampshire Humanists website: 5/10

Winners of the South East England Humanists Groups website

Regretably, none of the websites reach the min. 7/10 criteria, so none go forward to The Final of The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008 HASSERS Competition

"The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008" competition sponsored by HASSERS - Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland Groups

Please note. Humani (affiliated to BHA) and HSS (not affiliated to BHA) are national organisations for Northern Ireland and Scotland and therefore are ineligible to enter this local groups competition.

Wales
Cardiff Humanists

• HASSERS Rating Cardiff Humanists website: 0/10

Humanist Society Of Mid Wales

• Groups
  
• North Wales
  
• Mid Wales
• Cardiff
• Swansea
• Info
  
• underlines are not links
• www.slhg.adm.freeuk.com books list is out of date - pre 2000
• Letters (pre 2004)
• Yahoo groups forum
  
• HASSERS Rating Humanists Society of Mid Wales website: 3/10

West Glamorgan Humanist Group

• HASSERS Rating West Glamorgan Humanist website: 0/10

Scotland
Humanist Society Scotland
Please note. HSS (not affiliated to BHA) is a national organisations for Scotland and therefore is ineligible to enter this local groups competition.

• quotes dominate front page (and some do not quote source)
  
• professionally designed website
• not affiliated to BHA
  
• media scan
• bookmark articles (12 sources)
• facebook, StumbleUpon etc
  
• esssay on Humanism by Nigel Bruce
• Are you a Humanist (adapted BHA) questionairre?
• excellent!
• About us
• hits shown, download, view, file details per document
• Manifesto
• very slick
• Constitution
  
• Stucture
• Local Group
  
• Events Calendar
• by Group
• little info on group activities, members etc
  
• Blogs by Group
• Ceremonies
• Celebrants
  
• Find a celebrant database
• become a celebrant
  
• Join
• membership £10-£30 includes Local group membership
• online memership (Paypal)
• Publications
• Shop
• links
• online Forum (phpBB)
• search
• sitemap
• HASSERS Rating Humanist Society Scotland website: 7/10

Northern Ireland
Please note. Humani (affiliated to BHA) is the national organisations for Northern Ireland therefore not eligible to enter this local groups competition.
Humani - Humanist Association of Northern Ireland

• pictures
• humanism and books
• events
• affiliated to BHA
  
• membership & committee
• magazine with articles to download
• online forum
• links - Organistions, literature, other
  
• good selection
• HASSERS Rating Humani website: 7/10

Belfast Humanist Group

• pictures
• correspondance
• objections to Humanism
• Links to Humanist Organisations
• excellent links to worldwide
  
• HASSERS Rating Belfast Humanist website: 6/10
  

Eligible organisations must score at least 7/10 to go forward to The Final of The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008 HASSERS Competition; however no organisations in this Regional Group reached this score.

"The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008" competition sponsored by HASSERS - North West England Groups

Chester Humanists

• next meeting
• Forum online (Google Groups)
• HASSERS Rating Chester Humanists website: 3/10

Cumbria Humanist Group

• HASSERS Rating Cumbria Humanists website: 1/10

Greater Manchester Humanists

• HASSERS Rating Greater Manchester Humanists website: 1/10

Isle Of Man Free Thinkers

• events page latest entry December 2005
• links
• HASSERS Rating Isle Of Man Freethinkers website: 3/10

Lancashire Humanists

• latest meeting
• meeting reports
• constitution
• colour (grey)
• join & fees
• online forum (Think Humanism)
• HASSERS Rating Lancashire Humanists website: 5/10

Liverpool Humanist Group

• use of colour
• events
• Home page
  
• next meeting at top home page
• links
  
• jokes, video clips, quotes
  
• local and national news / blog
• mySpace
• humanism for schools
• news & national BHA campaigns
• archive incl. documents past events
• video and humourus video clips
• join
• £15pa after 2nd meeting OR £2 pay as you go
• HASSERS Rating Liverpool Humanists website: 8/10

South Cheshire & North Stafordshire Humanists

• www.humanists.org.uk
• use of BHA watermark logo on all pages
  
• Polly Toynbee welcome
• quotes
• ceremonies
• funerals
• names of local officiants
• baby namings
• weddings
• education
• resources for teachers
• powerpoint presentation
• altruism
• imigration
• evolution v creation
• Archive
• letters
• National opinion survey on science and religion, Nov 2006
• why I became a Humanist: personal statements
• Paul G.
• Sue F.
• Sue W.
• Group members
• Photo album
• book reviews
  
• not just Atheist but fiction
• HASSERS Rating South Cheshire & North Staffordshire Humanists website: 8/10

Joint Winners of the North West England Humanists Groups website

Congratulations to Liverpool Humanists AND South Cheshire & North Staffordshire Humanists. They both go forward to The Semi-Final of The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008 HASSERS Competition

"The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008" competition sponsored by HASSERS - South West England Groups

Bristol Humanists

• HASSERS Rating Bristol Humanists website: 1/10

Cotswold Humanists

• events to March 2008
• use of colour
  
• link to BHA Family Network
• HASSERS Rating Bristol Humanists website: 3/10

Cornwall Humanists

• Activities
• As individuals play an active part in, and/or financially support dozens of Local, National and International groups
• Humanism
• Diary
• Humanist Historical Key events eg
  
• 8 January 1642 Galileo Galilei dies at Arcetri, Italy
• 1 February 1865 Slavery abolished in the USA
• 14 March 1879 Albert Einstein born
• Ceremonies
  
• what Humanism means to you
  
• Religious Trends & Stats
• SACRE
• Book Shop
  
• Book List - very extensive list!
  
• Links
• HASSERS Rating Cornwall Humanists website: 7/10

Devon Humanist Group

• What is: humanism, secularism, rationalism, atheism, agnosticism, faith, theism, deism
  
• recently changed (not too recent)
• white - no colour themes
  
• Humanist Newsletter
  
• More about humanism
  
• Online Forum
  
• simple but effective
• Past events
  
• Humanism and Religious Education in schools
  
• HUMANISM – a guide to the philosophical background
  
• Humanism and Morality
  
• Letter To the Head of Religious Education in Devon schools from Devon Humanists
• Contact us (Schools)
  
• non-statutory national framework for religious education
  
• Members only section
  
• Comments from the Press
  
• Prayers before Exeter council meetings
  
• Events & Other events eg Exeter's Café Scientifique
  
• links
  
• Quotes
• Book reviews
• Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
• Towards the Light The Story of the Struggles for Liberty & Rights That Made the Modern West by AC Grayling
• Current Affairs
  
• Atheist Leader Gets Backing
• Interview with the Chief Scout, BBC radio 4
• Letter to MP re secular government
• HASSERS Rating Devon Humanists website: 9/10

Dorset Humanists

• Forum: Special Interest > Dorset Humanists - all members
• What is Humanism?
• Dorset Humanists Bulletins
• 1997-2007 Talks Archive
• Constitution (pdf)
• Facebook
  
• HASSERS Rating Dorset Humanists website: 6/10
  
• interest declared - Chris Street of HASSERS is DH webmaster!
  

Malvern Humanist Group

• HASSERS Rating Malvern Humanist Group website: 1/10

South Somerset Humanists

• HASSERS Rating South Somerset Humanists website: 1/10

Winner of the South West England Humanists Groups website

Congratulations to Devon Humanists! They go forward to The Final of The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008 Competition

"The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008" competition sponsored by HASSERS - East Anglia Groups

East Anglia

Cambridge Humanists

• event link here at BHA
• events
• past events eg 2006 not just dates but some details
  
• about humanism and here
• what we do
• ethical and social issues - human relationships, medical ethics (eg, in reproduction and euthanasia), environmental issues, ethical investment, fair trade, other belief ethics, scientific ethics (eg, genetic modification), issues in mental health, our relationships with other species, law and justice.

• HASSERS Rating Cambridge Humanists: 6/10

Essex Humanists

• events
• link to page 'subject to be decided'
• snippets from ' our newsletter'
• listen to website (ReadSpeakerXT) - works quite well

• HASSERS Rating Essex Humanists: 2/10

Lynn Humanists

• no website

• HASSERS Rating Lynn Humanists: it 0/10

Norfolk Humanists

• no website

• HASSERS Rating Norfolk Humanists: it 0/10

Suffolk Humanists

• topical blog
• thought for the day with
  
• Margaret Nelson has been providing a Humanist Thought for the Day every few weeks on BBC Radio Suffolk since 1995.
• Previous "thoughts" are listed in this section - you can also download a collection of Margaret's thoughts from 1995 to 2003 in PDF format.
• more of her thoughts on BHA website
• Content Management System
• software that manages the website - Drupal
  
• Newsletters (pdf)
• encouraging local University student Secular Humanists
• rss feed
  
• forums
• links - a comprehensive selection
• events calendar
• News Feeds
• Books
• upcoming events eg pub lunch
• paypal donations to Suffolk Humanists (right column)
• get 500 visitors a week from all over the country and abroad
• interest in ceremonies / experience with Suffolk’s SACRE
• "Funeral Etiquette" - read 9000 times
  
• funerals, ceremonies, about Humanism and the group - read 3500 times.
  
• "We’re all Monkeys" - Creationism and Intelligent Design article - read 1200 times.
  

• HASSERS Rating Suffolk Humanists: 9/10

Winner of the East Anglia Humanists Groups

Congratulations to Suffolk Humanists! They go forward to The Final of The BHA Local Groups Best Website 2008 Competition