The Olympic Flame
May 18, 2012
Today (18th May) sees the Olympic torch arrive in the UK, having begun its journey in Greece eight days ago. It is to be carried through 1,019 places the length and breadth of the UK before arriving in the Olympic Stadium. It was the Nazis who began this tradition for the 1936 games, harking back …
Moral Reflection and Danish Cinema
May 1, 2012
Films are capable of producing all variety of responses from their viewers. When they give us an insight into other people’s lives, real or fictional, they are particularly good at provoking empathy. Perhaps the immediacy of seeing someone’s face, be it only an actor, allows us to identify with the character and reflect on their …
Spirit and Supernature
April 7, 2012
It’s the Easter vacation, which for Christians is one of the holiest times. I’ve never made a secret of the fact that I don’t have a religious bone in my body. But I cannot deny the deep feelings of spirituality that many others have. Countless educated and rational people believe in a God, spirits and …
Chopsticks
April 3, 2012
On a recent visit to the University of Nottingham campus at Ningbo, China, I came across a creative writing reading group. They take turns to pen very short stories of no more than 600 words that they can discuss together. I mentioned that I loved writing but had never attempted fiction. An invitation – perhaps …
Love Lieder
March 29, 2012
If there be but one single thing that each and every human requires, without any fear of contradiction we say that it is love. It is not wealth, nor status; except insofar as some believe that these can bring them love – a conjecture falling far short of verification. Some say they want happiness, and …
Mahler’s 2nd
March 26, 2012
Life, death, its meaning, resurrection. On Saturday 24th March an audience at Nottingham’s Albert Hall were treated to an insight into all of the above when they attended a performance of Mahler’s epic second symphony. The event was staged by the Lakeside Arts Centre and included around 200 performers from the University of Nottingham orchestra …
Art versus Science?
March 6, 2012
My previous post set me to thinking more about the differences between the arts and the sciences. Are they really as distinct as we seem to assume? And if they are, what is the distinction? Do we have a clear definition of each that allows us to see their separation? There is no universal agreement …
Centre for Public Understanding of the Arts
February 13, 2012
It is wonderful to see the sciences starting to flourish again. Suddenly they are on the government’s agenda and universities are expected to play a role in producing well-trained graduates in the sciences. It is not too long ago that I remember courses such as chemistry struggling to recruit. But while I am happy to …
Unspecificity
January 30, 2012
The English language can be infuriating to the creative author. Sometimes it makes no sense. Specificity is a word. Unspecific is a word. One would seem entitled to conclude that unspecificity is a word. When I wrote it into a draft paper the other day, the Word programme gave me the tell-tale squiggly red underlining. …
A Christmas Carol
December 24, 2011
At this time of year, the splendid A Muppet Christmas Carol movie usually finds its way into our DVD player. And after seeing such a heart-warming feast I always reach for the family copy of the original book and read a few of its classic passages to the children. We have a wonderful early printing …
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