Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Nice People...

So as I said, I have been reading this book of essays by Bertrand Russell and one of the chapters which has kept me entertained is entitled, 'Nice People'.
I'm not going to write a lot about this chapter, mainly because I should be doing work for uni... but also because it's a very short chapter. Another point is that quite frankly, Russell is the expert...not me!!
Anyway, he starts the chapter by saying how he intends to write an article in praise of 'nice people'. He then goes on to describe the typical 'types' of people that may be considered nice, and then follows by stating the role he believes these people have played in shaping the world. If you want to kow about that, then you can probably find the essay somewhere on the net or get hold of the books yourself.
What I really liked about this chapter was it's closing words....
"The essence of nice people is that they hate life as manifested in tendencies to co-operation, in the boisterousness of children, and above all insex, with the thought of which they are obsessed. In a word, nice people are those who have nasty minds."

Anyway, on a more personal note, what a busy weekend!!!
Saturday afternoon saw me, my boyfriend and some friends heading off to Daresbury for Creamfields. Well, we arrived in the area a bit early so went with my plan of going to the pub. There, we had two pints, which meant that I was quite drunk* before we had even got into the arena. After a very long walk, we got into the Creamfields site and yes, headed straight for the bar!
Anyway, the drinking carried on, Mr J lost his phone....doh!.....and then we decided that as we had paid money to see them, perhaps we should go and watch some of the acts. I enjoyed the Zutons, although they were playing a lot of material from the new album, so I didn't know a lot of the songs. They were still very good though.
Unfortunately, we missed most of the Goldfrapps set, we got there as the last song was being played. Then the Prodigy were next - now don't shout at me, like a lot of people have...but I didn't enjoy their set that much....
The bass from them was amazing, it rippled right through the ground, but it seemed that that was all I could hear. Ok, they were good, but they just didn't get the crowd going as much as they could have in my opinion.
Afterwards we drank some more, headed to a tent with some random DJ on...I don't know who they were, I'm more of a guitar girl to be honest...but I enjoyed it in there! I danced my little ass off!

We got home at 4 in the morning anyway, I threw up - kind of inevitable!!

Sunday was my aunty's annual bank holiday BBQ, but of course, after the previous night, no alcohol passed my lips and I kind of sat there for most of the day in a bit of a daze. When I got home fro there though, I dragged my friend Laura to the pub quiz...much against her will I think, and we got a miserable 12 out of 20 : (

Monday was the final day of the Mathew Street festival, so we headed there and saw a brilliant band called Amsterdam......http://http://www.amsterdam-music.com/home.html...if you want to know more. There was great atmosphere around Liverpool, despite it being freezing cold. I think next year, I may have to go to the Mathew Street festival on the other days too, instead of just the Monday.

Amyway that was a long, rambling blog, but it meant that I didn't have to read the chapters in this boring book about teaching in a secondary school for just bit longer.....

Karen

* 2 pints might not sound like a lot, but I am incredibly small and lager has bubbles!!

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Good day to you.

I have been reading a book on and off for a while now - 'Why I am not a Christian' by Bertrand Russell. I bought it after my last exam at uni, as I realised that I could now do some real studying instead of just learning random pieces of information that would get me a god mark. Anyway, his style of writing is quite easygoing, and the book is just a collection of essays. This is why I have found myself picking it up and then leaving it for a few weeks before I return to read another chapter.
I have written about this previously on another site, but I'd thought I'd post it again here. It seems more relevant to me now that I am embrking on my teacher training course in about two weeks. Anyway, heres the passage that I like...
Russell, B.(2005 reprint) Why I am Not A Christian. Routledge Classics: London, Pg 40-41.
"With our present industrial technique we can, if we choose, provide a tolerable subsistence for everybody. We could also secure that the world's population should be stationary if we were not prevented by the political influence of Churches which prefer war, pestilence, and famine to contraception. The knowledge exists by which happiness can be secured; the chief obstacle to its utilisation for that purpose is the teaching of religion.
Religion prevents our children from having a rational education; religion prevents us from removing the fundamental causes of war; religion prevents us from teaching the ethic of the scientific co-operation in place of the old fierce doctrines of sin and punishment. It is possible that mankind is on the threshold of a golden age; but, if so, it will be necessary first to slay the dragon that guards the door, and this dragon is religion
."
Now, I am hoping to become an RE teacher at the Secondary level, yet I agree with some of Russells's points! I find that I can agree that religion has been a cause of many many problems in the world, but what I cannot agree with, is that teaching children about relion somehow stunts their imagination, or understanding of the world. Of course, I must remember that this essay by Russell was first published in 1930, when the world was a different place. Maybe all of his points were quite valid back then, but the world has changed so much, as has Religious Education.
Religious Education now is not about doctrines, or learning rules and laws by which we should live. Rather, it is about understanding different people and their differing views and faiths. It is about realising the similarities and differences in cultures and religions and appreciating both. I believe it is important that children are still taught about religion, it is still one of the major things that influences the lives of people around the world everyday and so, cannot be ignored.
I have also ust finished reading a chapter in the book entitled 'Nice People' and it has kept me entertained, so maybe a post on that soon.
Karen
x

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Hi, I'm Karen, this is just a quick blog to say Hi!!

All I want to do with this blog is write about things that interest me, so I might write about the things I have learnt over the past three years at uni, and maybe throw a little gossip in every now and then.

That is all!

Karen