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St Michael's was elevated to cathedral status in 1918 but destroyed in 1940- Bridgeman Images
About 1200 people were killed and the city centre was demolished by the bombs on 14 November 1940
Photo: PA
“On 14 November 1940 the Luftwaffe launched its most devastating bombing raid of the Second World War so far. The target was Coventry, a manufacturing city in the heart of England with a beautiful medieval centre.
As dawn broke over a ruined city, a horrific scene of destruction greeted the survivors. Homes and factories were flattened and many buildings were consumed by flames so intense, the city's sandstone brickwork glowed red. The air stank of burning flesh, and bodies, some mutilated beyond recognition, lay in the streets. Amid the broken walls and burning buildings, a 14-year-old girl was making her way to school.”…
Coventry: A remarkable historical city, my home town since 1974, when I married my Coventrian wife, Annie. Coventry, where I have made many wonderful friends, taught at its University for many years, was inspired by its values, spirit, and history, envisioning and enabling me to co-found the Centre for the Study of Forgiveness and Reconciliation at Coventry University. The Centre was officially inaugurated on 11 March, 1996, when its distinguished patron, Mary Robinson, the President of Ireland, delivered the inaugural Lecture at Coventry Cathedral and I was then appointed the Centre’s Associate Director.
Read “My Coventry Story”: Coventry and I: My Coventry Story
Coventry: The City of Peace, Forgiveness and Reconciliation
The statue of reconciliation in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral. I was honoured and proud to be present at the unveiling ceremony of the statue in Coventry in 1995 and later on at Hiroshima Peace Garden where a replica was unveiled.
Photo: Anne Mofid
The Coventry Blitz: 'Hysteria, terror and neurosis' - BBC News
"With each passing year the relevance of the human tragedy of the event and how Coventry rallied to become the city of peace and reconciliation grows in significance.
"Whilst remembering the horror of 1940 is vitally important, it's also key we view this as an opportunity for looking forward and ensuring that people and communities come together as a city to work towards a place we can all be proud of."-Ann Lucas, Coventry City Council
Coventry Blitz anniversary marked by 'human chain of light' - BBC News
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Prof. AC Grayling
Photo: spectator.co.uk
In today’s Telegraph there is an article by Prof. Grayling Outmoded university system needs to be shaken up - Telegraph where he argues that “The current university system does not work for new providers, so the government must step in to ensure real quality prevails”. The article is in response to a recent policy announcement by the UK Minister for Universities, Jo Johnson, promising a” broader vision for higher education”.
This, Prof. Grayling believes” will be very welcome to all those trying to bring new ideas into higher education. This is a sector that in too many respects has become outdated and closed, unwelcoming to new entrants, offering programmes many of which have remained basically unchanged for a century or more — except that they are now taught to far larger numbers of students in crowded lecture theatres.
“The government has identified innovation as an important matter. But we do not have a system that supports innovation: rather, the opposite. Mr Johnson observed that the current HE system is, at root, anti-competitive. No institution can succeed if its students cannot have access to government-supported loans and if it cannot recruit overseas candidates. But for a new institution to achieve this, it must be “validated” by an incumbent institution. Mr Johnson has likened this to Byron Burgers asking McDonalds for permission to operate.”…
I thought I should and indeed must make a response to this article, being an academic myself with equally many years of experience, journey and observation of higher education sector, universities and more. Please see below:
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Photo: youtube.com
"How can we see ourselves and our true purpose/talents if we are constantly viewing others?"… "Many of us are in so deep we don't realize [social media's] delusional powers and the impact it has on our lives."
“From fashion bloggers to fitness experts to simply photogenic everyday citizens, the "Instagram celebrity" has emerged as a new branch of fame in our social media-run world. Essena O'Neill, an 18-year-old from Australia, was a regular teen who amassed half a million followers on Instagram (on top of 200,000 followers on YouTube and Tumblr and 60,000 on her Snapchat, all now inactive) with selfies, outfit posts, and #fitspo photos. After building that up, she decided last week that she was done with social media.
She deleted 2000 photos, renamed her account to "Social Media Is Not Real Life," and changed the captions on existing photos with truthful anecdotes about posts she was paid for, how many tries it took to get the shot, and the pressures she felt to look perfect.
"I've spent the majority of my teenage life being addicted to social media, social approval, social status, and my physical appearance, " O'Neill writes in her last Instagram post on October 27, "[Social media] is contrived images and edited clips ranked against each other. It's a system based on social approval, likes, validation, in views, success in followers. it's perfectly orchestrated self-absorbed judgement."…
Continue reading:
http://www.elle.com/culture/news/a31635/essena-oneill-instagram-social-media-is-not-real-life/
Watch the video: Why I think Social Media sucks- Essena O’Neill
Essena- the darling of the social media
Photo: Instagram
The Pressure of Fame
"Our need to connect, it's becoming more like a series of interactions rather than connecting from depth and connecting from the heart. The connections we make online can give us that warm glow, but we mustn't mistake that for true connection."-Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, Physiologist
A still from Essena O'Neill's YouTube video explaining why she's quitting social media-Photo: youtube.com
Why I think social media sucks on Vimeo
“Teens are so emotionally invested in social media that a fifth will wake up at night and log on”
A reflection from a young person
(June Eric Udorie, 16, is a student, blogger and feminist campaigner)
“The pressure to be perfect and always ‘on’ is overwhelming many of us.”
Photo: theguardian.com
“The digital landscape has put increased pressure on teenagers today, and we feel it. There are so many social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, you name it. I made a conscious decision to avoid Snapchat and Instagram because of the social pressure I saw them putting on my 14-year-old little sister. If my mum turned off the WiFi at 11pm, my sister would beg me to turn my phone into a hotspot. She always needed to load her Snapchat stories one more time, or to reply to a message that had come in two minutes ago because she didn’t want her friend to feel ignored. If I refused, saying she could respond in the morning, I’d get the “You’re ruining my social life” speech. Even as a teenager as well, I sometimes find this craze a little baffling.
A new study has found that teenagers who engage with social media during the night could be damaging their sleep and increasing their risk of anxiety and depression. Teenagers spoke about the pressure they felt to make themselves available 24/7, and the resulting anxiety if they did not respond immediately to texts or posts. Teens are so emotionally invested in social media that a fifth of secondary school pupils will wake up at night and log on, just to make sure they don’t miss out.”…
Continue reading:
A Further Reflection on Social Media from an older person!
(Kamran Mofid)
Photo: gograph.com
Thank you Essena and June for what you have done and said. You speak for millions and millions of people, young and old. I, too, felt the same, and I am much older than you are. Please see below:
In December 2012 I posted a Blog, reflecting on my experience with Facebook and other social media under the title of “Is the Web Driving Us Mad?” Where I wrote:
“The other day, I “Successfully” de-activated my Facebook account. I say “Successfully”, because Facebook does not make it easy to say good bye, even though I was just trying a short-term separation and not a divorce! At least for now. {Since then, I have now permanently deleted myself from Facebook}.
You know, given human weaknesses to addiction, that is any form of addiction, I thought I was watching me and watching you to see if you were watching me, a bit too much: Watching who likes or dislikes whatever I post there. As if one click here or there is enough for me to know how good or bad I am doing!
My mind was going “digital” and I was becoming “virtual”: And I said to myself, Hey Kamran, watch where you are going man!
I thought I needed a time out, a time for some reflection and soul-searching. I do not know if you, too, are facing the same or not.”…
Continue reading:
See also:
Has loneliness become the new normal?
Has loneliness become the new normal?
Now instead of the harmful social media, allow me to offer you my heath-enhancing “Slow Reading Sunday"
Gems from my Wisdom Corner
“In an age of tech acceleration and the need to consume as much information as quickly as possible, “Slow Reading Sunday” is our journey back to wisdom. I believe in the wise words and sentiments of Mahatma Gandhi, when, well before the digital age of high-speed communication, just-in-time deliveries, social media and twittering, warned us against the pitfalls of living full throttle when he said, "there is more to life than increasing its speed"…
Continue reading: Journey to Healing: Let Me Know What is Essential
The Path to a Happy Life
A True Friendship- Real, Engaging and not "Virtual"
