Tuesday 5 June 2007

Music to the ears (Literaly...)

It was a nice half Sunday, shame we were too tired and too worried about Monday to stay until the end, when (of course) the best bands and solo players appeared on stage. But overall Homefires IV at the Conway Hall was a good experience to the ears. I particularly regret having missed Andrew Bird and Bat for Lashes, but hey, that is life...

I will not go into much detail but an agreeable review of the day can be found here.


Enjoy

Among Equals

Yesterday, I have been to an open lecture at the LSE titled "Secularism and Reason" by Prof. Simon Blackburn. It was one of those rare occasions in which I felt I was among people that shared the same values and ideas.
Mr. Blackburn gave us an interesting overview on how moral values and common sense are not necessarily connected with (or dependent of) faith. Quite the contrary, faith guided moral values can be quite narrow minded and destructive (e.g. same sex couples and gender equality).

Another point risen was how the Labour government - Maybe with good intentions - managed to increase racial and ethnic tensions in this country by supporting faith schools, and by doing so indirectly segregating pupils. I agree one hundred percent with Mr. Hawkins in this point; there should be an addition to the national curriculum, where schools would impartially teach about the majority of faiths and their roots, not in a biased mystical context but in a historical and anthropological one.

One other thing that impressed me, was the fact that there were no spaces left in the room where the lecture was being given; and some unfortunate (or late...) individuals were barred entry... Shame, as in this kind of occasion, the more the merrier.