Suzanne Owen
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suzanneowenphd.bsky.social
Suzanne Owen
@suzanneowenphd.bsky.social
Academic, writer, dendrophile
I was name-checked 😄. Absorbing interview about the institutional issues in the US (and elsewhere) and how McCutcheon steered his dept to keep abreast of the times and succeed.
Food for thought for those interested in the (institutional) future(s) of the study of religion. An interview based on Russell T. McCutcheon's "Our Primary Expertise". newbooksnetwork.com/our-primary-...
Russell T. McCutcheon, "Our Primary Expertise: A Future for the Study of Religion" (Rutgers UP, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Owen
When you use AI, consider this: the massive energy demands of AI data centers are driving up electricity costs. As well known, the use of water for cooling is also huge.

The costs are socialized, the revenues go to the companies.

www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
How AI infrastructure is driving a sharp rise in electricity bills
Electricity bills are climbing nationwide, rising faster than inflation in many places. The explosive growth of AI and the massive data centers behind it are driving demand and straining the grid. To ...
www.pbs.org
September 22, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Owen
Our campaign for the rights and interests of authors in the face of big tech companies using copyrighted work to train their generative AI models continues.

Read our views on Bloomsbury offering its authors an opt-in licensing deal with a 20% revenue share.

societyofauthors.org/2025/08/07/b...
August 8, 2025 at 2:53 PM
This report looks beyond the atomised approach to judging the value of university education to individual graduate earnings and includes wider benefit to society. www.acu.ac.uk/news/new-acu...
New ACU research finds university education delivers tangible growth
A new report commissioned by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and conducted by London Economics, presents compelling new evidence linking higher education expansion with long-term na...
www.acu.ac.uk
August 15, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Owen
Registration is now open for our online conference: basr.ac.uk/2024/01/11/b...

Registration is free - we hope to see you there.
BASR Annual Conference 2025
Religion, Space and Place Friday 5th September, 2025. Online, hosted by the Open University.  REGISTRATION NOW OPEN: Click Here The BASR is pleased to be supporting the quinquennial IAHR confe…
basr.ac.uk
July 25, 2025 at 12:32 PM
A nice, scary graph to show how hot it's getting in different regions of the world
June 22, 2025 at 1:40 PM
At an airport chatting to an older man about our delayed plane. I gave him updates from my phone. He said he had a long layover next, so wasn't worried. We were wearing masks because it was Covid. Later I saw his name - Manilow - and found he'd been performing in the city the night before.
Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie

Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
June 13, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Reposted by Suzanne Owen
The latest edition of the BASR Bulletin is now live! Reports, book reviews, conference reports, and more!

basr.ac.uk/2025/05/29/b...
BASR Bulletin 146: May 2025
The May 2025 edition of the BASR Bulletin is available here: BULLETIN 146-minDownload
basr.ac.uk
May 29, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Can we ever have a fair society when the wealthy are too powerful and tear down whoever might challenge them? When the BBC over-reports on a minor right-wing party leader? When people on the Left blame the Left, saying we're out of touch/don't have a narrative? Corbyn was, did. Look what happened.
May 3, 2025 at 8:57 AM
I wanted to be a palaeontologist
April 18, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Most hills on the Isle of Wight are TuMPs, under 99 metres. However, if you Google 'TuMP height' you get 1.9 metres. That would be a very small hill. But, Google, there is no 'r' in TuMP!
The Isle of Wight has three rivers: Yar ('river'), Yar ('river') and Medina ('middle one')
April 18, 2025 at 4:26 PM
The Isle of Wight has three rivers: Yar ('river'), Yar ('river') and Medina ('middle one')
April 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Owen
📢 #BASR2025 CfP is open! Theme: Religion, Space and Place.
This year’s online, one-day BASR conference (hosted by @OpenUniversity) runs alongside #IAHR2025 in Krakow.

Submit by June 9: [email protected]
April 16, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Reposted by Suzanne Owen
As is our usual custom in an IAHR year, we will be running our annual conference for 2025 over a single day. This year we have also chosen to run the conference online, in the hope of widening participation. The theme will be Religion, Space, and Place. #basr2025

basr.ac.uk/2024/01/11/b...
BASR Annual Conference 2025
Religion, Space and Place Friday 5th September, 2025. Online, hosted by the Open University.  The BASR is pleased to be supporting the quinquennial IAHR conference in Krakow this year and we hope t…
basr.ac.uk
March 26, 2025 at 9:14 AM
The latest issue of our journal, JBASR, on the theme of Environmental Endings and Religious Futures has just been published, with a lead article by Catherine Wessinger @thebasr.bsky.social www.jbasr.com/ojs/index.ph...
Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religion (JBASR)
Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religious
www.jbasr.com
March 18, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Spring has truly sprung when the blackthorn flowers. In Otley it started earlier in March and now it's at its peak.
March 9, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Here's part of what I saw
March 8, 2025 at 6:24 PM
I was up walking near Hebden, North Yorkshire, when I investigated these odd grey symbols on the OS map. The area appeared to be full of earthworks (maybe old quarrying?) now covered in heather. Just above Garnshaw House.
March 8, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Interesting study of Christian, Muslim and Hindu views of the environment in the UK. Despite beliefs that we should care for the environment, Christians don't translate this into action as much as others. Hindus do the most. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
British Hindus engage in most eco-friendly actions of all faith groups, research shows
As the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life study found Hindus are at the forefront of environmental activism, British Hindu, Muslim, and Christian participants discuss how they reconcile faith a...
www.theguardian.com
March 3, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Using a find a course website (WhatUni), I can only find two Religious Studies ones - Edinburgh and Open University. The latter has two - one as Arts and Humanities (RS) and one as Social Sciences (RS), so they seem to be within broader subject areas, leaving Edinburgh as the only place in the UK.
February 20, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Reposted by Suzanne Owen
The British Association for the Study of Religions is now on Bluesky! 🦋

Stay tuned for more updates on our conferences, projects, bulletin and academic journal. All available here: www.basr.ac.uk
January 27, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Wassailing revivals to bless orchards (esp apple) are part of efforts to connect with nature due to the loss and separation of modern lives with the natural world. This was at East Riddlesden Hall on Sunday with toast hung from trees.
January 21, 2025 at 1:31 PM
While my sister and her friends were watching slasher films, my friends and I sat in a dimly lit room watching Eraserhead. David Lynch was one unique filmmaker.
January 16, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Owen
You have the power to get small press books YOU want to read into your local* library.

*If you still have one. Use 'em or lose 'em.
Financial statement today reminded me HOW GREAT IT IS when folks request that their libraries acquire books. 😍

Seriously, if you want a totally free-to-you way to help an author, submit a request with your local library. Those sales help us so much, in whatever format.
January 7, 2025 at 12:49 PM