During a speech in 1957, Prime Minister Harold MacMillan declared “our people have never had it so good”. Now, more than half a century later, are we fundamentally any better off? Through discussion of technological advances, social changes, political reforms, and economic shocks and recessions, this panel will seek to question whether the world we currently live in is indeed a better place than it was in the 1950s.

Chaired by Professor Brian Nolan, Professor of Social Policy, the panel will consist of:

*Dr Max Roser, James Martin Fellow at The Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School
*Dr Anders Sandberg, James Martin Fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute
*Professor Robert Walker, Professor of Social Policy

A drinks reception will follow, all welcome.

The presenter will introduce different crowdfunding platforms which serve different purposes, for instance education-related initiatives, charitable works, new products and start-ups.

Presenter: Shan Huang, D.Phil student at Department of Education, Founder of OxFund

Have you thought about using crowdfunding to fund your next degree, innovation, entrepreneurial project, charitable work, creative arts or sports club? What support you need from your college, the university and the crowdfunding platform? Speak out and let them know.

OxFund invited Jonathan May – the CEO and Co-founder of Hubbub, the representatives from the Development Offices at Green Templeton College, Keble College, Merton College, Regent’s Park, St Hugh’s College, Somerville College (the only Oxford college has its own branded crowdfunding platform) and University College, and the staff from ISIS Innovation who are working with Hubbub to build a Oxford-branded crowdfunding platform for Oxford staff and students to raise money for their entrepreneurial projects to form a panel to listen your needs.

More college’s development offices may join, as we are still in the process of confirming. Please check the Facebook event for the updates. Even your college’s development office is not in the panel, speak out your needs and we will pass them to the development office of your college.

This book talk is a joint event between the Oxford Martin School and the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict

This book talk will see author Chris Woods discuss his new book Sudden Justice: America’s Secret Drone Wars, an exposé of the little-understood yet extremely significant world of drone warfare. His work is based on insights from many of those intimately involved – the pilots and analysts, US and UK intelligence officials, Special Forces and Pentagon commanders.

Chris Woods is an award-wining investigative journalist who specialises in conflict and national security issues. During almost a decade at the BBC, he was a senior producer for both Panorama and Newsnight.

The event will be introduced by Dr Alex Leveringhaus, a James Martin Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict and lead author of the recent Oxford Martin Policy Paper Robo-Wars: The Regulation of Robotic Weapons.

The book talk will be followed by a book signing, all welcome

This book talk will be live webcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdE9AJrZ_Fk

• Mike set up the volunteer organisation Smile Kids Japan (website under reconstruction…) in 2007 to promote sustainable and local volunteering at institutional care facilities (sometimes called orphanages) in Japan. This grew and has helped volunteers set up visits in 25 of the 47 prefectures in Japan, seeing several thousand people volunteer their friendship to kids in care. Following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck Tohoku, Smile Kids Japan joined up with another NPO, Living Dreams, and Mike moved to the area to work full time on this project. Mike and the team raised over $900,000 in the months after the disaster, working with large corporate donors and setting up smaller events, including a 5 kilometre fun run that was carried out in 12 countries on the same day and raised over $100,000. The work was featured on the ITV ‘Tonight’ documentary news program, and in national papers. After giving a talk at TEDxTokyo and returning to the UK to study the alternative care system in Japan, Mike was invited by the Japanese Ambassador to meet and talk with the Emperor and Empress of Japan along with other Brits, including Lord Patten, who had been involved in the relief work.

• Mike is going to speak about fundraising strategies and will suggest (at least) three concrete ideas for fundraising that can be done before the end of term. These can be used for any charity fundraising, however the focus will be on post disaster, specifically on the situation in Nepal.

• The meeting aims to form a small team who can work on a flash fundraising event before the end of term, though you do not have to participate further if you just want to listen to the talk and learn more about fundraising.

To Book a place, click ‘going’ on our Facebook Event https://www.facebook.com/events/467192280115835/

OxFund — the Crowdfunding Society for Oxford Students
Email: hello.oxfund@gmail.com
Website: http://oxfund.wix.com/oxfund
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OxFund/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OxFund
Fund OxFund to run events: https://hubbub.net/p/oxfundsociety/

Twenty minute talk, Q&As, and an hour of discussion. Free entry, no need to book. You’re welcome to come along just to listen, or to take part actively in the discussion.

Evening with Sami Awad of the Holyland Trust http://www.holylandtrust.org
Monday 15th June – Impossible to Possible: what does nonviolence mean in Palestine today?
Palestinian Christian Sami Awad, the Executive Director of the Holy Land Trust will lead discussions about nonviolence and its role in bringing a just and lasting peace to all who live in the Holy Land.
Holy Land Trust exists to lead in creating an environment that fosters understanding, healing, transformation, and empowerment of individuals and communities, locally and globally, to address core challenges that are preventing the achievement of a true and just peace in the Holy Land.
6.30pm for 7.00pm start; Friends Meeting House, 43 St. Giles, Oxford.
“It is encouraging for us to know that people have realised that you can stand up for the human rights of the Palestinians without compromising the rights of Israelis to also live in peace. You do not have to pick a side. I invite you ..to continue praying for peace for both communities that live in what we all call the Holy Land.”
Sami Awad.
“We have to not only understand those people who are oppressing us, but try to walk in their shoes, and ultimately to really engage with what it means to follow Jesus’ call to love our enemies.”
Sami Awad.
Sami will be visiting the UK with the Amos Trust. As well as the event on 15th June, Sami will also give a sermon in St Giles Church on Sunday 14th June. These events contribute to the Oxford Palestine Unlocked festival (4th – 20th June) . More details on the website http://palestineunlocked.com and also http://www.amostrust.org

Six members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), including comedian and journalist Mark Thomas are taking legal action against the Metropolitan Police’s monitoring and keeping of their information on a database that deals with extremists. An illustrated talk by four of those in the case discuss how journalists documenting protest are coming under surveillance. The panel includes photojournalist and campaign photographer Jess Hurd, Video Journalist Jason N Parkinson and Photographer David Hoffman, chaired by curator of OVADA’s current Resistance is Fertile exhibition, Adrian Arbib.

This is a special workshop hosted by the Refugee Studies Centre as part of Oxford Refugee Week.

Programme:

Chair: Professor Dawn Chatty, Professor of Anthropology and Forced Migration and former Director of the RSC

Speakers:
Dr Jeff Crisp, independent consultant, RSC Research Associate, and former Head of Policy Development & Evaluation at UNHCR

Dr Maria Kastrinou, Lecturer, Brunel University

Dr Sara Pantuliano, Director of Humanitarian Policy Group, Overseas Development Institute

Dr Patricia Sellick, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Trust, Peace & Social Relations, Coventry University

Professor Roger Zetter, Professor Emeritus of Refugee Studies, RSC

Since 2011, the on-going conflict in Syria has had an enduring and devastating impact. According to the latest inter-country report of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the humanitarian crisis has reached an unprecedented scale: 7.6 million people are internally displaced in Syria, while more than 3.9 million are seeking protection in neighbouring Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

Against the background of this unprecedented humanitarian crisis, what are Syrians’ aspirations for their futures? What kind of futures do they want to build? And what measures have EU Member States taken in response to the crisis?

This workshop will draw on ethnographic accounts from work directly with Syrian communities in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The workshop will bring together experts and academics that have had direct fieldwork experience and can speak about the concerns, needs and aspirations of Syrians who have fled Syria.

This event is open to all. No registration is required.

A wine reception will follow afterward.

SOFEA are holding an educational event involving working and understanding the behaviors of young people. It is happening on Thursday 25th June 2015 and all details are attached. You will need to RSVP

*How clicktivists, slacktivists and hacktivists are helping us beat cancer sooner*
Michael Docherty, Digital & Strategic Marketing Planning Director, Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research. Our vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. Our work into preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer has helped double UK survival rates in the last forty years. Our ambition is to accelerate that progress so we see at least 3 in 4 patients survive cancer by 2034; the digital revolution playing an important role in helping us get us there.

We will explore the work we’re doing to increase our fundraising impact through digital, how we’re opening up our research for the digital world to engage with, and what might come next!

Free and all welcome, there will be a drinks reception after the talk.

Michael Docherty is Cancer Research UK’s Digital & Strategic Marketing Planning director. He’s been with the charity since late 2007, joining as Head of Online Marketing and later becoming Head of Digital before moving into the director role. In the last year Michael has continued to build digital capability into CRUK and drive the transformation of CRUK’s websites to make them robust, responsive, and above all, user-centric. Prior to CRUK Michael was a Group Marketing Manager at Telstra, Australia’s leading communications company, and has held various product and brand marketing roles at Yahoo!, Hutchison Telecoms & Fairfax Digital.

Image: Cancer Research UK / Wikimedia Commons

What the World is Losing, a talk with Dr Paul Collins, Dr Robert Bewley & Dr Emma Cunliffe

A special talk with Dr Paul Collins, Curator of the Ancient Near East Collections at the Ashmolean Museum, as well as Dr Robert Bewley and Dr Emma Cunliffe from the University of Oxford School of Archaeology

Saturday 25 July, 10.30am‒12pm
Ashmolean Museum Lecture Theatre

FREE entry. No booking required.

*** Spaces limited. Please arrive early to secure your seat. ***

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Middle Eastern cultural heritage is under threat as never before. These talks highlight what the world is losing in Iraq and Syria, as well as talking about Oxford University’s ‘Endangered Archaeology of the Middle East and North Africa’ project.

Dr Paul Collins spoke in April this year about the recent destruction of museums, libraries, archaeological sites, mosques, churches and shrines across northern Iraq to highlight the unique heritage that is being lost.

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This is a free Festival of Archaeology Talk. See the full programme of events at: http://www.ashmolean.org/events/Festival/

A one-day free exhibit featuring powerful children’s drawings from Burma and Sudan.

The event is co-sponsored by Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART) and Waging Peace. The drawings from Burma were collected on visits by HART to their partners. HART works with these partners and others in conflict or post-conflict areas, often facing persecution and oppression and trapped behind closed borders. The areas in which HART’s partners work are often not reached by larger organisations and Government support.

The pictures from Sudan were collected by Waging Peace, from Darfuri children living in refugee camps in Chad. Waging Peace is a non-governmental organisation that campaigns against genocide and systematic human rights abuses and seeks the full implementation of international human rights treaties.

These drawings are commanding and moving, providing an insight into the lives and minds of children living in these contexts.

A lecture in aid of the British red Cross services in Oxfordshire and beyond kindly given by award winning journalist Peter Taylor and entitled ‘Terrorism from IRA to Al Quaeda and ISIL.’ In his lecture Peter will describe his 40 year journey from reporting the IRA to investigating Al Qaeda and, latterly, assessing the Islamic State. He will discuss how successful – or otherwise – governments and states have been in countering the threats and addressing their root causes.

In conjunction with The Angus Library and Archive’s exhibition, ‘Navigating the Congo’, Bandi Mbubi, will be joining us to speak about conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo and his work in demanding the development of fairtrade technology which uses conflict-free minerals.

Bandi Mbubi is a founder and director of Congo Calling, an organisation who are working to bring the world’s attention to the atrocities being committed in the Congo and for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing war. Bandi writes and speaks nationally and internationally to create a mass movement of consumers who demand the development of fair trade technology which uses ethically-sourced, conflict-free minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The exhibition will be open to visitors before the talk from 1pm-5.30pm on 22nd September.

Silke Ackermann (Director, Museum of the History of Science) Liz Bruton (Co-curator, “Dear Harry”… Henry Moseley: A Scientist Lost to War) and Nigel Biggar (Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology, University of Oxford) will discuss the ethics of scientists going to war in response to the current Museum of the History of Science exhibition exploring the life and legacy of talented English physicist Henry Moseley.

When Moseley was killed on the battlefield at Gallipoli in August 1915, newspapers on all sides of the conflict denounced his tragic death with one English newspaper headline proclaiming that Moseley was “too valuable to die”. Moseley’s death contributed to a changing attitude to scientists and science going to war with scientists and engineers being kept away from the frontline. Instead the work of scientists and engineers – research and expertise – is used to meet military goals with scientific research increasingly relying on military funding. In this debate, we will discuss the ethics of scientific research being used for military ends as well as whether scientists being held back from frontline service means others serve and die in their place.

Doors will open at 18.30. Admission for special events is free, but to guarantee a place you can reserve a seat here.

The Oxford Forum for Medical Humanities presents a talk on effective altruism and the true impact of a doctor, by (medical doctor) Dr Gregory Lewis.

Doctors have a pretty solid reputation as do-gooders, and many students go into medicine for altruistic reasons. But how much good do doctors do? If you are deciding whether to become a doctor in the UK, how many lives can you expect to save over the course of your career?

Dr Gregory Lewis, a full-time doctor and ex-Cambridge medical student, will present some of his research into these very questions. This talk should be of interest to medics and non-medics alike who are serious about the impact of their career.

Date: Saturday 24 October (Week 2)
Time: 4:30pm-5:30pm
Venue: Blue Boar Lecture Theatre, Christ Church

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WHY DOCTORS DON’T DO MUCH GOOD

If you want to save lives, should you study medicine? Probably not.

The conclusion of our research is that most people skilled enough to make it in a field as challenging as medicine could have a bigger social impact through an alternative career.

The best research suggests that doctors do much less to improve the health of their patients than you might naturally expect. Health is more determined by lifestyle factors, and most of the treatments that work particularly well could be delivered with a smaller number of doctors than already work in the UK or USA.

However, medicine is high earning and highly fulfilling, and we expect there are more promising opportunities to help others through biomedical research, public health, health policy and (e.g. hospital) management.

Overall, we think going to medical school would be the best way to have a social impact only if someone felt they were a significantly better fit for medicine than the other options we recommend.

Source: 80,000 Hours https://80000hours.org/2012/08/how-many-lives-does-a-doctor-save/

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BIOGRAPHY

Dr Gregory Lewis, a full-time public health doctor training in the east of England. He studied Medicine at Cambridge, where he volunteered for Giving What We Can and 80,000 Hours, and he did his FY1 at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

He will present some of his research into these very questions. This talk should be of interest to medics and non-medics alike who are serious about the impact of their career

Do we have the means necessary to create the perfect human? Do we have a moral responsibility to do so? Professor Julian Savulescu, Director of the Institute for Science and Ethics, will consider current and potential human enhancement technologies, and look at the ethical arguments surrounding their use.

Reuters Institute seminars “The business and practice of journalism”
The following seminars will be given at 2 pm on Wednesdays, normally in the Barclay Room, Green Templeton College.
Convenors: James Painter, David Levy

Nazanine Moshiri, roving correspondent, Al Jazeera English
2 December: ‘The changing nature of reporting from a war zone’

Join us for a conversation with cultural thinker Roman Krznaric as we decide which are the best books on ‘the Art of Living.’ The event is hosted by website www.fivebooks.com and Prosecco will be served…

Public meeting. An introductory talk of 20 minutes, followed by an hour’s discussion. All welcome.

Guest speaker: Dr Mike Macnair, Tutor in Law at St Hugh’s, Oxford. Introductory talk, followed by about an hour’s discussion among the audience. All welcome.

One week after the 1967 ‘Six-Day War’, a group of young kibbutzniks, led by renowned author Amos Oz and Editor Avraham Shapira, recorded intimate conversations with soldiers returning from the battlefield. The Israeli army censored the recordings, allowing only a fragment of the conversations to be published. Censored Voices reveals these original recordings for the first time.

Following the screening, there will be a talk from Professor Derek Penslar, Oxford’s Stanley Lewis Professor of Israel Studies. Dr Penslar has written a number of books and articles on Israel’s place in modern Jewish and world history, and co-edits two scholarly journals, The Journal of Israeli History and Jewish Social Studies.

Please book by emailing events@lmh.ox.ac.uk

A public meeting featuring veteran peace campaigner Bruce Kent plus speakers from CND and Momentum. There will also be questions and discussion.

Parliament will soon be making a decision on Trident replacement. Come and hear the facts.

All welcome – feel free to join in the discussion or just listen.

Organised by Oxford CND and Momentum Oxford

‘How to feed 9 billion people?’ is a free public seminar as part of the NERC Environmental Research DTP Grand Challenges Seminar Series.

FREE TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/grand-challenges-seminar-series-tickets-19857062007?aff=ebrowse

By the year 2050, it is estimated that the global population will exceed 9 billion. Much of this population growth will occur in the poorest regions of the world, placing intense pressure on the supply of food to these regions. Changes in dietary preferences are likely to place additional pressure on the planet’s food supply. This increasing requirement for food is occurring at the same time as we become increasingly aware of factors reducing the productivity of agriculture such as: soil erosion, disease, extreme climate, and pollution. An increased awareness of the negative environmental impacts of intensive agriculture further highlights the range of pressures facing food security. In order to tackle these issues, different groups involved in the maintenance of food security need to cooperate effectively.

This panel discussion will bring together leading figures with different roles in the food supply network. We aim to provoke a stimulating and engaging debate with input from individuals with a variety of perspectives.
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CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:
Chair: Julain Cottee, Environmental Change Institute
http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/people/jcottee.html

Tara Garnett, Food Climate Research Network, Oxford
http://www.futureoffood.ox.ac.uk/people/tara-garnett

Mike Bonsall
http://www.futureoffood.ox.ac.uk/people/mike-bonsall

Mark Buckingham, Monsanto
http://monsantoblog.eu/category/news-views/#.Vp9Vp_mLTIU
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Date: Tuesday 16th February 2016
Time: 5pm sharp, followed by a drinks reception.
Location: TS Eliot Lecture Theatre, Merton College, Oxford, OX1 4JD
FREE TICKETS available here (please ensure you choose the correct date):
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/grand-challenges-seminar-series-tickets-19857062007?aff=ebrowse

Please ensure you reserve a place on eventbrite if you intend to come as it would greatly aid us in our organisation of the event. Thank you in advance

What do Apple’s design principles, World War II propaganda, selfies and mobile phone video scandals all have in common?

Learn more about the power of visual imagery and how the era of social media and mobile-phone technology allows us to craft a new, smarter public view of poverty, in what promises to be a fascinating talk!

Free wine and nibbles, as always

“The Case Against 8 shows four people rising above a law that sought to lower them into second-class citizenship. It’s an inspirational film about a powerful victory.”
– Henry Barnes (The Guardian)

Oxford Brookes Documentary Club is proud to present ‘The Case Against 8’. This is the next documentary in this new semester of free weekly screenings, held at Oxford Brookes University every Thursday at 7pm in the John Henry Brookes Lecture Theatre.

Ben Cotner and Ryan White’s 2014 film ‘The Case Against 8’ documents the extensive legal fight to overturn California’s Proposition 8, an amendment that would have eliminated the rights of same-sex couples to marry.

This is an extremely important documentary and one that has been rewarded with award success. Among their many accolades, Cotner and White have won the Audience Award at SXSW festival, Best LGBT Film at Nashville Film Festival and the Directing Award at Sundance.

For this week’s screening we are also in collaboration with ‘LGBT History Month Festival’, you can find out more here:
http://lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/

Tickets for this free screening can be booked through the Eventbrite link, and Whether you have attended a previous screening or are completely new to Oxford Brookes Documentary Club we can’t wait to share these unforgettable stories with you.

Check out our Facebook for trailers, interesting links and more information on this and upcoming events!
https://www.facebook.com/Oxford-Brookes-Documentary-Club-995302480514361/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

The talk will cover:
– Overview of Islamic finance
– Role of Islamic finance and more ethical banking practices in the post-crisis world
– Public policy and the role it plays in enabling such forms of finance

Event is free to attend and no registration is required!

ABOUT LORD SHEIKH:

Lord Sheikh is a Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Islamic Finance and is actively involved in promoting Islamic Finance in the United Kingdom and globally.

He was appointed to the House of Lords by the Conservative Party in 2006. As an active Peer he speaks regularly in the House and at external political and business conferences on a variety of subjects.

Lord Sheikh is Chairman and Director of Iqra Ethical plc (Islamic and ethical insurances and financial services) and Macmillan Sheikh plc (conventional insurances). He is also Chairman of two property companies.

Previously, a company owned by Lord Sheikh was the winner, or highly commended, for 13 prestigious insurance industry awards. He has also received personal awards for business achievements and humanitarian work. He is a past president of the Chartered Insurance Institute and Chairman of the British Insurance Brokers Association.

In education, for 12 years Lord Sheikh was visiting lecturer at a number of colleges and polytechnics and wrote education material. He belongs to three Livery companies and is a Freeman of the City of London.

Fairtrade Fortnight is 29th February – 13th March. But how fair is Fairtrade? Does it bring extra income to the worst off? Or does it create more divisions?

Speakers:
– Barbara Crowther – Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Fairtrade Foundation
– Peter Griffiths – author of ‘Ethical Objections to Fairtrade’
– Matthew Anderson – Senior Lecturer in Business Ethics, Portsmouth Business School
– Dominic O’Hagan – People & Planet
– Carol Wills – Oxford City Council Fair Trade

The 2016 annual Heron-Allen lecture will be given by Dominic Johnson, Alastair Buchan Chair of International Relations, Director of Research, at the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR), Oxford.

For millions of years, humans and other animals have had to find ways to coexist in sharing finite resources in the environment. Often this has led to competition and conflict, but it has also led to the evolution of remarkable adaptations and systems of social organisation that promote cooperation and sharing. Dominic suggests that we have often focused too much on the former and not enough on the latter, more optimistic aspects of ecology and evolution. Today, with the rapid rise in human population and consumption, the Earth’s finite resources are dwindling beyond repair, and we desperately need fresh approaches to maximise our chances of damage limitation. Dominic and the interdisciplinary “Natural Governance” project team at Oxford suggest that major new insights may come from studying and learning how other species, as well as indigenous human societies, have successfully managed common resources in the past, and the social and behavioural mechanisms which enable this sharing and conflict resolution to succeed. The team believe that, even if by small steps, this approach opens a new avenue for the successful governance of natural resources. From long term studies of badgers in Wytham Woods, to hunter-gatherers in Africa, to contemporary conflicts over resources, the talk will give examples of new ways to think about our predicament and ask whether nature itself may hold solutions to help us preserve it.

The lecture starts promptly at 5.15pm in the Simpkins Lee Theatre and finishes with a drinks reception in the Monson Room. The event is free to attend and guests are welcome. To book your place(s), please email events@lmh.ox.ac.uk.