Connecting with Culture -

Charles Darwin

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:55:58 +0000

Most people have an opinion of Charles Darwin. And those that don’t will have by this time next year.

As the Natural History Museum opens its doors to a new Darwin exhibition, a year of lectures, events, publications, debates, and exhibitions gets underway. Even the most devoted Darwinist might be a little tired by December 2009.

unleashing entrepreneurship

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:23:24 +0000

As the economic crisis deepens, redundancy is likely to be happening at a company near you. Many employers and governments will seek to soften the blow but the loss of skills and knowledge threatens to impoverish us all.

Key to the solution is entrepreneurship. While this requires no state programmes to initiate, governments that do assist aspiring entrepreneurs get good value for money – the average cost of a business start-up is less than the average annual cost of keeping a student at university, a prisoner in jail or a family on welfare.

America's Gift to the World

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:42:07 +0000

I remember seeing the first pictures of Germans hacking away at bits of the Berlin Wall. On that night a wall came down. It felt the same on Wednesday morning. A wall had come down.

And joy abounded, not primarily, I think, because the American people have elected a black man, but because of the kind of man they have elected.

Obama’s rise from poverty to the Oval office has not left him believing that anyone who works hard enough can live the American dream, but rather convinced him that most people can’t – unless the system changes. Indeed, though Obama is a brilliant orator, it is primarily his authenticity, his unconcealed intelligence, the content of his character, and the depth of his convictions that have stirred people. This man cares about the poor and the disadvantaged; this man thinks it is a scandal that people can’t afford basic healthcare in what was, until recently, the most advanced economy in the world; this man is prepared to go to war, but only on high moral ground. This man doesn’t want to rule the world, but serve it.

Spooks

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:03:36 +0000

Spooks is back – and with a bang. The BBC’s slick and stylish spy series returned this week, only for one of its main characters to be blown out of the show by a car bomb. It’s never been quite as good since the utterly mesmerising Tom Quinn took early retirement from MI5, but this week’s episodes have proved that Spooks remains compelling viewing.

The success of Spooks can be attributed to a number of factors – the writing, acting, camera work, film editing and suspense-inducing soundtrack, to name but a few. Each of these we can rightly celebrate as examples of excellence in their field. Spooks, however, is greater than the sum of its parts, and as such has established itself as the most patriotic show on television. Arguably this, more than anything else, is the secret of its success.

Redundancy

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:45:14 +0100

The sight of stunned employees carrying their personal possessions in cardboard boxes out of the Lehman Bank building is etched in my memory. Gathering in a state of shock in local bars, some dulled their pain with alcohol and tried to rebuild self-worth through group support. And this might well prove to be just the tip of the iceberg; ‘downsizing’ will likely hit many of us with a new intensity as the economy falls into recession.

Pass It On

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:54:09 +0100

Jamie Oliver is a chef with a big appetite for change. ‘It’s Great Britain! It’s 2008!’ he despairs, ‘I’ve been to Soweto and I’ve seen AIDS orphans eating better than this.’ His new series, Jamie’s Ministry of Food, showcases his determination to transform this situation.

There has already been remarkable transformation. The once ‘naked chef’ has radically impacted the lives of several people, including a woman who ate more than 70 packets of crisps a week; the miner, who deemed cooking to be ‘women’s work’; and the mum who fed her family takeaways so frequently that her young daughter thought kebabs grew in the ground. Lest we underestimate the power and significance of food, learning to cook has transformed the lives of these people, giving them not only new skills but also new confidence and changed relationships.

Shaping Education

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:11:56 +0100

Amid the current banking crisis, it has been reported that finance workers are heading for the teaching profession, leaving the office for the classroom, exchanging the Financial Times for the Times Educational Supplement. It’s not about the money or job security, apparently, or even the longer holidays, but the search for a career that will provide a greater sense of fulfilment; a public sector job in a world in which people are valued. May it be so.

The Name’s Brand… James Brand

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:20:18 +0100

There are numerous web pages devoted to the Bourne versus Bond debate. Who’s the superior in your book? Robert Ludlum’s brainwashed bionic man – a gritty, focussed, über-assassin, who wouldn’t be distracted by Swedish supermodels or a bottle of Bollinger; or Ian Fleming’s naval commander – not just a resourceful killer, but a witty philanderer and nouveau cuisine connoisseur.

Whatever your decision, there’s no denying that the Ludlum character’s film franchise resulted in Bond being (ahem) bourne again. Daniel Craig’s new, more bruising Bond, owes a lot to Matt Damon’s rogue spy; there are less quips, less gadgets and less girls in Casino Royale, as no doubt will also be true of the upcoming Quantum of Solace.

Collectors Cornered?

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:07:28 +0100

Darren Smith has, apparently, the largest private collection of Lego in Britain. That’s more than two million bricks, in case you were wondering. Accommodating the collection has necessitated the conversion of both his loft and his garage. ‘I love Lego’, he explains, ‘the colours and the shapes are timeless.’ His wife, however, regards her husband as ‘obsessed’, commenting ‘the house is overrun. Sometimes he spends large amounts of money on Lego when really he should be treating me.’ For the record, Darren’s collection is worth £50,000 – a more expensive hobby than some, certainly, but considerably cheaper than others.

Recovering Thrift to Solve the Credit Crisis

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:30:11 +0100

The credit crunch stems from a deeper moral and spiritual crunch. At stake is a virtue on which capitalism depends – thrift. Resolving the crisis will involve a recovery of this virtue.

Most westerners have long had access to grassroots saving institutions, such as building societies and credit unions. But recently, while commercial banks have focused their investment opportunities on ‘high net worth individuals’, financial institutions targeting the ‘sub-prime’ market have proliferated. The growth of this anti-thrift sector is partly responsible for the high levels of consumer debt that have become an accepted feature of advanced economies, but now threaten to undermine them.

The Power of Story

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:31:19 +0100

A hotel executive tells this story:

‘The hotel I manage is located near a renowned hospital. Recently, we noticed that a man and a boy were visiting regularly and surmised that they were father and son, and that the son was undergoing treatment at the hospital. One evening, the father sent the boy up to bed and called over the head waiter. “My son is about to start chemotherapy tomorrow,” he said. “He’s really upset at the prospect of his hair falling out, so he’s decided to shave it all off tonight. I’m going to do the same to support my son. When you see us tomorrow morning, please don’t react.”

‘The head waiter was touched by the story and briefed his colleagues. The next morning, father and son came down with bald heads, feeling rather nervous. But, as they went in to breakfast, they gradually realised they weren’t the only ones who looked a bit different that day. No fewer than ten members of staff had shaved their heads out of solidarity with the boy.’

The Secret Millionaire

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:39:46 +0100

Channel 4’s The Secret Millionaire is TV that can legitimately claim to change lives. Each programme follows a millionaire as they go ‘undercover’ for two weeks, to experience life on benefit in a deprived area. During their fortnight, the millionaire seeks out volunteer opportunities with local community projects, with a view to identifying worthy causes to which they can donate cash. Each programme concludes with the millionaire returning to selected projects to express thanks and admiration, and then to reveal their true identity and hand over a cheque, often for several thousand pounds.

A healthy appetite.

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:21:53 +0100

I’ve never been a big fan of the Tequila Slammer: licking a lime then snorting salt before downing a dose of Mexican firewater (I’m sure that’s how it’s supposed to be done) seems an awful lot more bother than supping a good old pint of Pedigree.

But if you are a fan of the worm-ridden liquor then despair as its price is about to hit the roof. Fields of the plant from which it is derived, the blue agave, are being uprooted in Mexico in order to grow cash crops that make more green – dollars that is – namely wheat and corn.

Winning and Losing

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:20:36 +0100

Were you screaming encouragement at the TV last Saturday, urging the British men’s coxless four to rowing gold in Beijing? There is something mildly addictive about the Olympics. Perhaps it’s the athletes’ aspiration to, and demonstration of, excellence that stirs something noble in our souls. Only the hardest of hearts could be unmoved by the tears of joy, and the sobs of disappointment that have been headline news for the past two weeks.

Reaction to different competitors’ medal-winning and misfortunes has revealed the extent to which, in the developed world, at least, respect is based on merit, and achievement the passport to social acceptance. So it is that record-breaking, champion swimmer, Michael Phelps, gets to shake hands with President Bush, while China’s crestfallen Liu Xiang prompts a mass exodus from the birds nest stadium on withdrawing from the 110m hurdles due to injury.

Hellboy 2 – The Golden Army

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:32:47 +0100

Much of JRR Tolkien’s fantasy epic, The Lord of the Rings was inspired by the author’s experiences on the battlefield of the Somme. The dedication of Samwise to Frodo was a reflection of the loyalty of a batman – a military version of a butler- to his officer. And the industry of Saruman’s mines and forges, and the raising of an Orc army to wipe out humankind mirrored the mechanisation of warfare in the First World War.