Sister Joan Chittister at TEDxWomen 2012 Sister Joan began her talk with a bold statement: "The second class status of women in our society has always been a matter of faith." She delves into the roots of it — the Abrahamic creation story in which man was created first. But as she says, "Darwin is reshaping the way we think about creation. We are at crossover moment in time — what was considered true up to this time will not be considered true after this time ... Science is giving us a God big enough to believe in." Instead of a God who personally designed the features of our world in one swoop, could it be that creation is a work in progress? And that each of us plays a part? This talk was given at a TEDxWomen Conference 2012 titled "The Space Between" held in Washington, DC, on Nov 30th and Dec 1st 2012. 14m 44s [Link to string on Catholica forum where this was first presented. 05Dec2012]

If the World Was a Village of 100 People... This is an interesting short video collapsing a big range of statistics about us human beings into a digestable size of a community of just 100 people. This is a re-edited version of the video which was originally made for a Chinese audience. The English text was added early in 2011. The original clip can be found at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABmi8cHTl6U 4m 09s [Link to string on Catholica forum where this was first presented]

The secret to giving a great talk (or lesson or homily)... Professional communicator, Nancy Duarte, draws lessons on how to make a powerful speech or call-to-action. She analyses the "I have a dream" speech Steve Jobs' made to launch the iPhone. She argues all great presentations have a common architecture. 18m 09s [Link to string on Catholica forum where this was first presented]

Intelligence Squared Debate: The Catholic Church is a force for good in the world This is part one of a five part debate hosted by the BBC program "The Intelligence Squared Debate". The motion up for debate was that "The Catholic Church is a force for good in the world". On the affirmative team were Archbishop John Onaiyekan and British MP Ann Widdencombe. On the negative team were Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry. 9m 18s [Link to string in Catholica forum where this debate is discussed] | [Link to Crikey's coverage of this debate]

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on the Divisions within Christianity Tom McMahon drew our attention to this interview the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople recently gave to Charlie Rose on American television. This is only a small segment from the extended interview where Patriarch Bartholomew discusses the divisions within Christianity. 4m 12s [Tom McMahon's commentary where he discussed the interview at greater length]

A Question for Michael Willesee – Addendum Tom Scott poses a proposition regarding where the real miracles are to be found. 1m 25s [Commentary by Tom Scott (aka Brian Coyne) 22 Aug06]

A Question for Michael Willesee Following his appearance on Andrew Denton's program, Enough Rope, Tom Scott has some questions regarding Michael Willesee's views on miracles. This is an excerpt from Enough Rope. 1m 9s [Commentary by Tom Scott (aka Brian Coyne) 22 Aug06]

The Ascent of Man: Excerpt 4 The concluding words from the BBC series The Ascent of Man by Jacob Brownowski: "We are all afraid — for our confidence, for the future, for the world. That is the nature of the human imagination. Yet every man, every civilisation, has gone forward because of its engagement with what it has set itself to do. The personal commitment of a man to his skill, the intellectual commitment and the emotional commitment working together as one, has made the Ascent of Man." 1m 11s [Commentary by Brian Coyne and Amanda McKenna where this excerpt was discussed 05Sep06]

The Ascent of Man: Excerpt 3 A segment from the BBC series The Ascent of Man by Jacob Brownowski. This excerpt is from the Episode entitled "The Long Childhood" in which Dr Bronowksi describes his encounter with Jesus Christ. 2m 01s [Commentary by Brian Coyne and Amanda McKenna where this excerpt was discussed 05Sep06]

The Ascent of Man: Excerpt 2 A segment from the BBC series The Ascent of Man by Jacob Brownowski. This excerpt is from the Episode entitled "The Long Childhood" in which Dr Bronowksi explores the worth of Erasmus and St Thomas More as models. 1m 48s [Commentary by Brian Coyne and Amanda McKenna where this excerpt was discussed 05Sep06]

The Ascent of Man: Excerpt 1 A segment from the BBC series The Ascent of Man by Jacob Brownowski. This excerpt is from the Episode entitled "The Long Childhood" in which Dr Bronowksi explores the value in questioning. 1m 38s [Commentary by Brian Coyne and Amanda McKenna where this excerpt was discussed 05Sep06]

Absolute Truth A segment from the BBC program Absolute Truth by Edward Stourton which spells out the contemporary challenges facing the Catholic Church. 17m 25s [Commentary by Brian Coyne (aka Tom Scott) referring to this 19Dec06]