Mindfulness Meditation

Friday, May 1, 2020 - 13:00

Take a few minutes out of your day to relax and try out some mindfulness meditation - helps with reducing anxiety and stress during these times!

The sessions are free for all to join, where Patrick Baigent will introduce methods from his practical guide ‘The Gears of Mindfulness’ and his accessible One Minute Mindfulness approach with a Q&A. With an emphasis on making mindfulness effective, this is something simple and beneficial you’ll have for life.

Patrick’s approach is the culmination of twenty years of exploration, combining Mindfulness from Buddhism and Chinese Zhineng Qigong. During the last seven years Patrick focused on uncovering the principles of relaxation and has also written two books on the mindfulness process.

If you want to learn more about meditation and mindfulness, Patrick also offers some free one-to-one tutoring slots on his page:

https://www.facebook.com/MindfulnessProcessTherapy/

Donations are optional and help Patrick to help more people - you can donate directly to him through Paypal via patrick@mindfulnessprocess.com.

His practical guide is also available on Amazon; The Gears of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Mindfulness Process Therapy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0858TW6JP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bLoMEbW5RXR2Q

(Meditation can be a great way to relieve stress, but as always, we recommend anyone suffering from significant mental health issues to consult their GP or therapist.)

Ken Starr - Trump's Defence Attorney & Bill Clinton Investigator

Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - 18:00

Ken Starr is an American lawyer who headed up the investigation into President Bill Clinton that led to his 1998 impeachment. More recently, he was a member of President Donald Trump’s legal team in the 2020 impeachment trial in the Senate.

He also served as US Solicitor General from 1989 to 1993, as Dean of Pepperdine Law School from 2004 to 2010, and as President of Baylor University until 2016.

The event will be streamed live to the public at https://www.youtube.com/cambridgeunionsoc

Alan Rusbridger - Former Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian

Monday, May 11, 2020 - 16:00

Alan Rusbridger worked as Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian from 1995 to 2015. Investigations into WikiLeaks, tax avoidance, phone hacking and the Snowden revelations in his tenure won several awards, including the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for public service.

He is now Principal of Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford, where he also chairs the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. He is a graduate of Magdalene College, Cambridge.

The event will be streamed live to the public at https://www.youtube.com/cambridgeunionsoc

Noam Chomsky - American Academic

Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 19:00

Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, social commentator, and political activist. He is among the most cited scholars in the world and is the author of many books, including Syntactic Structures and Manufacturing Consent.

He is currently the Laureate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Arizona and an Institute Professor at MIT.

The event will be streamed live to the public at www.youtube.com/cambridgeunionsoc

This House Regrets Online Pornography

Thursday, May 14, 2020 - 18:00

Despite being consumed by tens of millions of Britons each year, online pornography is one of modern political culture’s biggest taboos. Join the Cambridge Union for our second debate of an our online-only Easter term to discuss the motion “This House Regrets Online Pornography”.

It will be streamed live at https://www.youtube.com/cambridgeunionsoc

(Photo credit in event header to Steve Rhodes at https://www.flickr.com/photos/ari/)

Post-Debate Pub Quiz Social

Thursday, May 14, 2020 - 19:00

Open to everyone and free to enter for all ages - you will be able to participate and submit your answers online both individually or as a team - we also have some drinks prizes, sponsored kindly by Cambridge Distillery, for winners once the 1815 is open again.

Simply tune into the Union's YouTube Livestream on Thursday (from Sam's kitchen) at https://www.youtube.com/user/cambridgeunionsoc after the main debate.

Cambridge Gin Laboratory's Story:
"We are a world leading distillery, based in Grantchester, who supply the very best venues in Cambridge and beyond. Walks through the meadows surrounding Cambridge inspired our co-founders, William and Lucy, to create gins that capture the taste of the English seasons using botanicals grown in and around their home. We still have the same singular aim – to create outstanding gins using the freshest botanicals.

Every gin that we have ever released has won international awards for quality, and our unique distillation methods have led to Cambridge Distillery being awarded three consecutive times as the most innovative distillery in the world. We also run our Cambridge Gin Laboratory as an interactive space in the centre of Cambridge, dedicated to the appreciation of gin!"

Is Covid-19 the End of the European Project?

Friday, May 15, 2020 - 18:00

This event will be live-streamed to all on the Union’s YouTube channel, at: https://www.youtube.com/user/cambridgeunionsoc.

Speakers:

Maria da Graça Carvalho has represented Portugal in the European Parliament since 2019 as part of the social democratic bloc. She has previously served as Minister of Science at the national level in Portugal from 2003 to 2005.

Vince Cable served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2017 to 2019 and as MP for Twickenham from 1997 to 2015 and again from 2017 to 2019. He was Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, and Skills in the Coalition government from 2010 and 2015. He is a graduate of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and a former President of the Cambridge Union.

Ben Hall is Europe editor at the Financial Times. He was previously world news editor, Europe news editor, Paris correspondent, UK political correspondent, deputy comment editor, and a leader writer.

Nathalie Tocci is Director of the Italian think tank the Istituto Affari Internazionali and Honorary Professor at the University of Tübingen. She has been Special Adviser to EU High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, on behalf of whom she wrote the European Global Strategy.

BME Leaders: Life lessons and Coronavirus (Panel, open to all!)

Saturday, May 16, 2020 - 15:00

BME leaders reflect upon their past experiences, the lessons they have learnt along the way, and share their invaluable advice. Join us on the 16th May to discuss these issues and more for what is set to be a very enriching event.

This event will be live-streamed to all on the Union’s YouTube channel, at: https://www.youtube.com/user/cambridgeunionsoc.

Speakers:

Gautam Samanta was named in the FT Top 100 Leaders in Technology and a Thought Leader in Emerging Technologies enabling financial services. He is currently the EVP and Global Head of BFS for NIIT Technologies.

Mujtaba Khan is an entrepreneur and founding CEO of Reon Energy, the largest renewable energy company in Pakistan. He has experience launching many start-ups and working in leadership as a consultant in both Europe and Pakistan.

Baroness Pola Uddin is the first Muslim and second Asian woman to sit in Parliament, and the youngest woman on the benches. In 2009, she was included in The Guardian’s Muslim Power List. She has extensive experience in community work and international relations, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Exeter University in 2004. 

Jermain Jackman is a former winner of The Voice UK, a political activist and a rising voice within the Labour Party. He sits as chair of the Hackney Young Futures Commission.

What does Coronavirus Mean for Education?

Wednesday, May 20, 2020 - 19:00

Will a move towards digital, decentralised teaching transform a model that once seemed so entrenched? Will the loss of exams become permanent for many? In an online panel with the Cambridge Union, four world-renowned figures share their perspective on what the future holds for education in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

This event will be live-streamed to all on the Union’s YouTube channel, at: https://www.youtube.com/user/cambridgeunionsoc.

Speakers:

Justine Greening served as Secretary of State for Education under Theresa May, following stints at International Development and Transport. Having left Parliament, Greening now chairs the Social Mobility Pledge.

Stephen Toope is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He previously held the same position at the University of British Columbia, and is perhaps best known for his regular emails to the Cambridge student body.

Alex Tabarrok is a Professor of Economics at George Mason University. Together with Tyler Cowen, he is best known as the co-founder of Marginal Revolution University, a free online platform for studying economics.

Shirley M. Tilghman was the nineteenth President of Princeton University, serving for twelve years until 2013. She is globally recognised for her scholarship in molecular biology.

Yanis Varoufakis (open to all)

Friday, May 22, 2020 - 18:00

Yanis Varoufakis is a Greek economist, politician, and thinker. He served as Finance Minister in the first half of 2015, and he later co-founded DiEM25, a pan-European political movement. More recently, he has launched Progressive International with Bernie Sanders and others.

The event will be live-streamed for anyone who cares to watch on the Union's Youtube page at https://www.youtube.com/cambridgeunionsoc at the time listed and later