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The Madness of Materialism and Consumerism: A Very Black Friday Indeed
Shoppers get into the madness of Black Friday Sales. Photo: Twitter
The Big Question surly must be:
As we are only here for a short while, with so little time to do all we should do, why then this madness to posses more and more?
Have you not heard about Memento mori and Memento vivere?
‘There is no time like the present to look at life from its widest perspective’
“It occurred to me that there were two sets of virtues, the résumé virtues and the eulogy virtues. The résumé virtues are the skills you bring to the marketplace. The eulogy virtues are the ones that are talked about at your funeral — whether you were kind, brave, honest or faithful. Were you capable of deep love?"
Although it's still over a week or so away, Black Friday is already in the front of many shoppers' minds. Sale promotions are enticing the masses to rise and oil the wheels of money-driven capitalism: Buying things that they do not need, with the money that they do not have, to impress the friends that they do not have time for. Thanksgiving vs. Black Friday: Where is the Gratitude?
Many retailers are aware of this, and have already begun to release the specifics of the deals they will offer on the day after Thanksgiving. Other stores have had their promotional offers "leaked" online beforehand due to the eagerness many shoppers have to find the best deals, and more so, to create a false hype to fool the masses even more! Many cannot wait, for this opportunity of a life time! A madness that repeats itself every November!
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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: