Tchaikovsky and Human Rights
November 7, 2013 Blog Jade Hunter
Equal rights is a tough and long fought over issue in many countries, however, none of them are as public at the moment than the problems facing Russia’s LGBT community at the hands of the Russian government. Although many countries like the UK, France, Canada and the US push forward in LGBT rights all the time, many others are disgustingly backwards in their treatment of the gay and transgender community. The widespread bigotry and narrow-mindedness shown by the Russian government in their increasingly abhorrent laws and restrictions are unfortunately still present in many countries, some places still holding the death penalty for anyone found to be LGBT.
Performer Announcement – Hetain Patel
October 18, 2013 Blog Jade Hunter
“It is Patel’s skilled precision in realising an almost seamless harmony of his culturally and historically divergent source material that gives his installations a distinctive resonance.”
- Robert Clark, The Guardian
We are very excited to welcome visual artist Hetain Patel to TEDxSalford as a performer this year, so expect the unexpected as Patel brings us his fascinating and vibrant work to our stage in November. Read More »
Women in Battle
September 4, 2013 Blog Jade Hunter
The role of females in the armed forces and of women in battle has always courted controversy, with many men believing that women do not have the physiological or psychological make up for battle, so their roles, if any, were limited to medical and technological (the latter only after the second world war). Even today, in what we consider more open minded times, there are still questions about a woman’s place on the battlefield. The British Army has had women serving in non-combat roles sporadically since the 1600’s but it is only in the last 50-60 years that women have been allowed a freer choice of roles. The USA have only this year overturned a ruling to allow women on to the frontline and into combat roles.
Speaker Announcement – Rachel Elnaugh
August 23, 2013 Blog Jade Hunter
Former Dragon’s Den panellist and creator of Red Letter days, Rachel Elnaugh is a resourceful business woman and has managed to turn what could have been a crushing loss through the administration of her business into a positive way forward.
Born in Chelmsford, Essex, Rachel started up her first business, “Red Letter Days” at the age of 24. Red Letter Days provided unique experience gifts such as driving tanks and F1 cars as well as flying various types of aircraft and bungee jumping.
The business did extremely well for 16 years, creating a turnover of £17.5 million and brought her to the attention of the BBC and a place on the panel of Dragon’s Den. Not only this, she also was a finalist in Veuve Clicquot’s Business Woman of the Year 2001/2002 and Ernest & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year.
Never Stop Questioning
July 24, 2013 Blog Jade Hunter
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing” – Albert Einstein
We all have questions about the world we live in, humans in fact, are extremely good at questions. The defining point of humanity, our curiosity, is what drives us to be better, to do more and to learn more. We have the Curiosity rover, an embodiment of our need to make the unknowable, knowable as it travels and explores Mars. Our thirst for knowledge is what makes us great and the starting point of this is to ask questions and to never stop questioning.
There is nothing greater than the big questions of not only our generation but of our entire history. What happened before the big bang? What happens after we die? Is there life on other planets? Are there alternate or parallel universes?
Read More »
Heavy Metal in the Middle East
July 10, 2013 Blog Jade Hunter
Tales from Heavy Metal part 2
When it comes to heavy metal and rock, the Middle East never really springs to mind as a haven for those styles of music. The region has been blighted by politics, war and extremism in the minds of many in the west who forget that regardless to the problems of their countries, the main population are living their lives as normal (or as normally as possible in some places).
There are metal fans and metal musicians in almost any country you could think of, who express themselves through emulating their heroes as well as creating new music and styles. And how better than heavy metal? A music that can be highly emotional, to express anger and sadness, happiness and elation. Heavy metal can be a refuge from an angry world.
Read More »
The Joy of Geek
June 25, 2013 Blog Jade Hunter
“Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It’s basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating.” - Simon Pegg
The Importance of Museums
June 12, 2013 Blog Jade Hunter
I apologise for the lateness of my article this week but I was down in London over the last few days taking in the sights of the capital. As I was in the Victoria & Albert museum, it occurred to me just how vital these places are and that the importance of museums is greater than some people think, not just to me but also to society as a whole. With the threat of closure hanging over three Northern museums due to budget cuts; The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, Bradford’s National Media Museum and the National Railway Museum in York, it seems that some people do not consider museums as important as they perhaps should. Read More »
The Bard Songs
May 29, 2013 Blog Jade Hunter
Tales from Heavy Metal: Part One
Music has long been a staple method of storytelling all over the world; from the time before cultures could write down their history or their tales, there have been scops and skalds, minstrels, grigots, ashiks, udgatars and of course, bards. These poets and musicians would travel around their native countries and tell their songs, tales sometimes true, other times embellished stories or myths that had been passed down through word of mouth. Before the written word (and later as a form of entertainment), this was one of the only ways to keep history and mythology alive. Read More »
The Magic of Science
May 14, 2013 Blog Jade Hunter
In the midst of our humdrum lives we sometimes forget about the magic of the world around us. That even just existing is rather a wondrous thing. It is good to have a reminder now and then, something which this TED speaker is here to do. He is here to tell us about the magic of science. Read More »