Pearl Earring

What is your favourite episode or line from 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'?

Listen to an interview with writer Tracy Chevalier
Watch a music video inspired by the story
Read an interview with Tracy Chevalier

'All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare' (Spinoza)

In 'Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob', Lee Siegel warns us against the uncritical acceptance of internet culture. According to Siegel, accessibility, variety and convenience have taken precedence over reliability and depth. The writer draws our attention to the confusion between information and knowledge and, by quoting Spinoza, suggests we lead a trivial and second-rate existence. To what extent do you agree with these ideas?

Read the first pages of Siegel's book

Listen to an interview with Siegel

Globalisation

Should globalisation be seen as a curse or a boon? In what ways have you been directly affected?

Click here for some general info on the phenomenon

Read an article on Globalisation

Listen to thinkers and experts discuss the different facets of globalisation.

All that glitters is not gold ...

You've probably heard the 'fake' stories about the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. China has resorted to theatrics and doctoring in order to put on a grand show. Is this faking justifiable in the circumstances? Have your say.

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Watch a video about the Opening Ceremony

Style

What constitutes style? Which of these do you find most important -
fashion, attitude, posture, vocabulary ...?
Take a peek at New Yorkers and listen to comments on their style

A change of scene

With the holidays approaching, the vision of a pristine beach or a much-visited tourist spot immediately springs to mind.
Browse these websites, pick your favourite destinations and listen to a podcast. Have a nice trip!
Frommer's podcasts
National Geographic podcasts

'Food has similarities with language. It has its own vocabulary and grammar, if you like.'(Nigella Lawson)

How would you answer the following question posed to chef Nigella Lawson: 'What would be your desert island dish?'
Read the whole interview

">Watch Nigella prepare an old-fashioned choc cake!

Leadership

'Lead India' is a television initiative launched in December, 2007, which aims at identifying a new leader for India, someone who will hopefully guide the country towards prosperity. To what extent is it possible, or indeed desirable, to 'manufacture' a great leader?
But here I'd rather refer to the word leader in its broadest sense. I think we are all potential leaders, in that we have the ability to inspire, motivate and ultimately change the world, which is precisely the message conveyed by the 'Lead India' advert.
I hope you now feel inspired to take over the blog, I'm sure you all have a lot to contribute.

Click here to watch the Lead India video

Lessons in emotions?

Last class we talked about things that make us 'foam at the mouth'. Are you good at managing anger? Then you're probably emotionally intelligent. EI, or emotional intelligence, involves not only recognising your own emotions, but also those of others and, most importantly, managing them in a positive way. To what extent can the teaching of EI in schools bring benefits to society?
Click here to read an article on this topic.

Biscuit

I've just come across this sweet poem by Jane Kenyon. Superficially, but just superficially, a poem about the relationship between a pet and its owner. On another level, I find this is an in-depth analysis of the nature of trust. What do you think?

Biscuit

The dog has cleaned his bowl
and his reward is a biscuit,
which I put in his mouth
like a priest offering the host.

I can't bear that trusting face!
He asks for bread, expects
bread, and I in my power
might have given him a stone.

Man's best friend?

Some animals are famous for being sensitive to weather changes and for predicting natural disasters and, fanciful as it might seem, some pets are even believed to sense when their owners are ill or dying. Some experts believe the explanation is purely biochemical, attributing animals' reactions to chemicals given off by the human body.
I'm also convinced that pets, specifically dogs, can easily perceive their owners' emotional changes as well, and are very affectionate and comforting to them in these circumstances.
How do you feel about these heightened senses of animals? Do you have a story to share with us?

Utopia and Dystopia

Last class we looked at the terms 'utopia' and 'dystopia'. The former refers to an ideal, nonexistent way of life, whereas a dystopian society would be a utopia gone wrong. Although a dystopia is founded on perfection or idealism, it turns out to be a distorted, oppressive, undesirable society.
You have probably heard of dystopian fiction works like 'Brave New World' (Aldous Huxley)and 'The Children of Men' (P.D. James). Unlike works which portray an ideal world, such as 'The Republic' (Plato) and 'Utopia' (Thomas More), dystopian fiction does not exclude the contingencies which have led to the society it depicts. Rather than stimulate an escape into an idealised world, these works seem to spur us on to a deeper reflection on our contemporary values.
Take for example the film 'Children of Men'. As Slavoj Zizek puts it in his article on the film, the infertility which is described was actually 'diagnosed long ago by Friedrich Nietzsche, when he perceived how Western civilization is moving in the direction of the Last Man, an apathetic creature with no great passion or commitment: unable to dream, tired of life, he takes no risks, seeking only comfort and security, an expression of tolerance with one another: "A little poison now and then: that makes for pleasant dreams. And much poison at the end for a pleasant death. They have their little pleasures for the day, and their little pleasures for the night, but they have a regard for health. ‘We have discovered happiness,’ - say the Last Men".
Do you agree that we have become far too complacent and selfish?
Read the article and watch a comment on the film 'Children of Men' at http://www.childrenofmen.net/

Happiness

What is it that makes you happy?
Last class we discussed the relationship between travelling and the quest for happiness and we briefly touched on other aspects that can make us happy. Does it have to do with joy, success or the good life? Have your say!
You may be interested in these articles from the bbc site. There is also a test to check how happy you are.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/happiness_formula
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6961996.stm