2013 marks the six-year anniversary of the Festival of Ideas, a University of Cambridge public engagement initiative that celebrates the arts, humanities and social sciences by showcasing a diverse mix of inspirational talks, performances, films, exhibitions and other creative displays. 

Cambridge Festival of Ideas 2013

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Lectures

Podcasts

Bad Fluids - Class of ´87

Bad Fluids - Disfarmer

A guitar line fragment with an Indian feel to it. And lots of reverb, just doodling around.
Credit for the original guitar line idea: Tarek Hassan.

A Prayer for Varanasi

1 November 2011, Conference Centre, British Library

Why do we have such contradictory views of young people? Fear and mistrust one minute; recognition and celebration the next. Are our perceptions of young people distorted? And what impact do our perceptions of young people and youth culture have on policy decisions? 

The speakers were Professor Ken Roberts, AcSS, Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, University of Liverpool and Dr Mary Jane Kehily, Senior Lecturer in Childhood and Youth Studies at The Open University. The discussion was chaired by  Ross Hendry, Director of Policy, Office of the Children's Commissioner, England.




Myths and Realities 11: Young people - troubled, troublesome or terrific?

Panel discussion with

Jane Ellison (Commissioning Editor, Radio 4, BBC),

Matthew Cock (Head of Web, British Museum),

Bill Thompson (Technology writer and Head of Partnership Development, BBC Archive Development) 

History on the Internet

Professor Stephen Hawking offers his own perspective on theories about the origin of the Universe, with a talk entitled "Fire in the Equations".

Stephen Hawking: COSMO Public Symposium 2013

Lunch Hour Lectures - Autumn 2013

Professor John Sutherland, UCL English

Is rap / hip-hop, as its proponents claim, the poetry of the contemporary street, and if so should it be incorporated into the syllabus? John Sutherland is Lord Northcliffe Professor Emeritus of English at UCL.

You can also watch this lecture on the UCLLHL YouTube channel at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzZA6y33tPY

UCL is consistently ranked as one of the world's top universities. Across all disciplines our faculties are known for their research-intensive approaches, academic excellence and engagement with global challenges. This is the basis of our world-renowned degree programmes. Visit us at http://ucl.ac.uk.

Dr Dre in the classroom (10 Oct 2013)

The problem of violence against women and girls has been prominent in media coverage with many distressing cases coming to light over the last year and more. What steps are being taken through legal processes, by organisations and academia to tackle the issues involved? Speakers include Norah Al-Ani of Cambridge Rape Crisis centre.

How far have we come? Ending violence against women and girls

Writer and influential political commentator Owen Jones talks about his strong opposition to Government cuts and proposes a fight-back alternative to austerity.

Owen Jones is a columnist, author and influential commentator associated with left-wing politics, he appears regularly on Question Time, Newsnight and in newspapers. In this talk, he examines the alleged failings of the current Government's austerity measures and proposes what some might consider a radical alternative.

Owen Jones was born in Sheffield and grew up in Stockport. After graduating, he worked as a trade union and parliamentary researcher. His first book, Chavs: the Demonization of the Working Class, was published in June 2011. He writes a weekly column for the Independent, is a regular broadcaster and is a policy and media advisor to the trade union think tank Class. He is currently working on his second book, on power in Britain, for Penguin. He was named 2012 Stonewall Journalist of the Year and Young Writer of the Year at the 2013 Political Book Awards.

An alternative to austerity: a talk by Owen Jones

Join Dr Miranda Griffin, College Lecturer in medieval French literature, in her fascinating investigation of medieval tales of transformation, exploring the way in which the Middle Ages imagined the frontiers between the human and the animal.

Werewolves and snakewomen

Lord Byron’s death on 19 April, 1824, ‘in Greece, and for Greece’, created a legend that is still with us. Professor Roderick Beaton traces the real story behind Byron’s mission to help the Greeks in their revolution against Ottoman Turkish rule and shows its effects are still with us.

Roderick Beaton is Professor of Modern Greek & Byzantine History and Director at the Centre of Hellenic Studies at King's College, London. He is also Chair of the Academic Committee overseeing the International Byron Conference this year. His research interests are Greek literature since the 12th century; the history of the novel; and nationalism in Modern Greece.

What Byron really did for Greece and why it still matters

What can patterns of history and business teach us? Join a discussion with: Dr Victoria Bateman, Lecturer and Fellow in Economics; Alan Turner, Managing Director, Global Head of Debt and Co-Head of Product at Barclays; and Aditya Chakrabortty, Economics leader writer at the Guardian, to explore turbulence in the UK economy across centuries and the balance sheets of more recent times.

The cycle of confidence

Professor Ian Roberts will explore how languages shape human culture and human thought. Some languages have shaped our world more than others and some of them are not as obvious as you might think. This talk offers a sample of those languages, from Sanskrit to Singlish, via French and Esperanto, with one or two real surprises along the way.

Ideas and languages: 10 languages that changed the world

Is creating a more inclusive society vital for a country's economic development or does economic development need to come first? Speakers include journalist Richard Dowden, Dr Kamal Munir (Judge Business School), Dr Sharath Srinivasan (Department of Politics and International Studies) and Brita Fernandez Schmidt (Women for Women International). Chaired by Dame Barbara Stocking.

Four leading experts in the fields of social change, innovation and human rights will discuss this question, debating the role microfinance has played in economic development and the effect of new communication technologies, alongside examining how much these have allowed previously excluded groups, such as women, to have more of a say in governance. The panel will also discuss the importance of less recognisable social movements and collectives and how technology is changing the nature of social action.

Dr Kamal Munir has been teaching at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School since 2000. Dr Munir's research focuses on social change and stability, as well as innovation and technological shifts in society.

Dr Sharath Srinivasan is a Lecturer in Governance and Human Rights at the University of Cambridge. Prior to academia, Dr Sharath worked in the field of international aid in conflict settings. He has led programmes for a leading international relief agency in Sudan, and has advised a range of international organisations and government agencies on conflict prevention, peace-building and political development.

Brita Fernandez Schmidt is Executive Director of Women for Women International UK. She has a strong record of work on women’s human rights, gender, social inequality and development and has worked with a number of different national and international human rights and development institutions over the past 20 years. Prior to joining Women for Women International, Brita led the programmes and policy work of Womankind Worldwide; acted as Chair of the Gender & Development Network; and advised numerous other organisations and institutions, including the Department for International Development, on gender, women’s rights and development.

Richard Dowden is a journalist who has specialised in African issues. Since 1975, he has worked for several newspapers, including The Independent, The Times and The Economist, and for the past eight years he has been the Executive Director of the Royal African Society. He has made three television documentaries on Africa for the BBC and Channel 4 and is author of the book, Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles.

Is social equality necessary for development?

Larry Samuelson: Beyond the Standard Model in Economic Behaviour

Educating The Heart

The Path to Peace and Happiness in a Global Society

Using specialist techniques, the Language Research Team at Cambridge University Press unpick the patterns of scholarly English as they explore the journey of academic writing: from sixth form students to published professors.

What makes a brilliant piece of academic writing?

Read by CAMERON DIAZ and SANDY RUSTIN

Throughout her career, Cameron Diaz has been a role model for millions of women. By her own admission, though, this fit, athletic star wasn't always as health-conscious as she is today. Her consumption of bad foods had an effect on her skin and her body. "If you are what you eat," she says, "I was a bean burrito with extra cheese and extra sauce, no onions." Learning about the inseparable link between nutrition and health was just one of the life-changing lessons that sparked Cameron's passion to explore the best ways to care for her body. In The Body Book, she shares the knowledge she's gained both from personal experience and from consulting with health experts.

Beginning with nutrition, Cameron explains why instead of fearing hunger, women should embrace their body's instinct for fuel and satisfy it with whole, nutrient-dense foods.

Cameron also explains the essential role of consistent physical activity. Many women think about exercise in terms of pounds lost or muscle tone gained, but don't realize that working up a sweat is also essential for improving mood, boosting energy levels, and preventing disease. Cameron offers tips for choosing the right exercise program and shares her own workout strategies for looking and feeling your best.

Creating a healthy, beautiful body begins with learning the facts and turning knowledge into action. In The Body Book, women will find the tools they need to build a healthier body now—so they can live joyfully in it for years to come.

THE BODY BOOK by Cameron Diaz

The Kooks - 'Naive'

من فيلم ألوان السما السبعة
https://www.facebook.com/ZeenMahmoudFansAlshykhAlfrnsy

زين محمود - تجليت في الأشياء

يبكي و يضحك لا حزنا و لا فرحا كعاشق خط سطرا في الهوى و محا


يبكى ويضحك -  زين محمود

The Life Scientific - Child Developmental Psychology with Annette Karmiloff-Smith

Produced, Engineered and Mixed by Kevin Augunas

Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up to Dry

Original Music by Deuxan
Youmn Faisal - Guitar
Ibrahim El Hadidi - Oud
