Druid Candidates in Carlisle

The News & Star published an opinion regarding the upcoming election in Carlisle (UK) that "Careful scrutiny of election pamphlets will be needed, in order to eliminate those with a tendency towards the occult, citing membership of extreme religious cults or witches’ covens and attending Druid ceremonies."

Wow! From the sounds of it, there must be several Pagans running. What a progressive place. I'll have to add it to my travel plans.

Druid Temple in San Francisco

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the SF Girls Chorus was close to having a home at 44 Page Street. The building, nearly 100 years old was originally built as a druid temple. It apparently still has some charming architectual traces of its past including Greek column capitals and a sculpted goddess head here and there.
A quick look across the internet failed to find any photos of or from the building. Any Druid's in the San Francisco area want to take some photos? I'd be very interested in seeing details from the building.

Book Release: Oak: The Frame of Civilization

New book of interest to Druids on the Horizon.

Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc. announced a publishing date of June 2005 for "Oak: The Frame of Civilization" by William Bryant Logan.

According to the publisher it is "An elegantly written natural, cultural, and eventful history of the oak tree -- and the interaction between oaks and men. Logan tells an enthralling story and makes a convincing case that as a supremely adaptable and generous instrument of human needs and desires, the oak tree not only was shaped by, but shaped the human.

Of course, as a Druid, I am particularly interested in what Logan has to say about the interactions between oaks and men. I've added it to my wish list.

You can purchase it on Amazon.Com (Advance Sales).

Product Details:

• ISBN: 0393047733
• Hardcover, 320pp
• Pub. Date: June 2005
• List Price: $24.95

Thieves steal statue from (OBOD) Druid Grove

The Contra Costa Times reported that thieves removed a carving from a Druid Grove (Grove of Mannan mac Lir) in Walnut Creek, CA. The report indicated that although the 100 pound statue was taken, the local authorities did not consider it to be a hate crime.

I was very pleased to see that the article did not ridicule or otherwise belittle Druids, their beliefs or their practices.

Grove of Mannan mac Lir is an OBOD Grove and has a web site.

Dial a Druid Chatline?

IOL: Travel: "Interestingly, there are still Druids in Wales today and, what's more, there's a dial-a-Druid chatline for help in life. For more on Welsh history, check out www.cadw.wales.gov.uk"

Saw an article "Visit a Welsh pub and make new friends" by Roger Godlightly in the IOL News (South Africa) that was promoting visits to Wales (March 04 2005).

The article mentions that there's a Dial-A-Druid chatline in Wales. I couldn't find an E-Mail address for Mr. Godlightly and I 've tried contacting VisitBritain and see if they know about the number. Anyone know the number or what type of "help in life" they provide?