Category Archives: Science

Brunel, Bristol and re-forging history

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Samira Ahmed

Confession. I have this big crush on Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Or rather, on Kenneth Branagh as IKB, with those sideburns and a stovepipe hat, quoting  Shakespeare at the Olympic opening ceremony; an engineering Renaissance man. Perhaps it played a subconscious … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, History, Politics, Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Martin Landau and the Art of Darkness

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Samira Ahmed

I was lucky enough to interview Martin Landau when he was in London for the Film Festival premiere of Frankenweenie. Like a lot of 70s kids I first discovered him as Space:1999′s haunted looking Commander Koenig. When discussing his career … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Radio, Science, TV, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Aliens, abortion and baby machines: HG Wells & John Wyndham

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Samira Ahmed

Woman’s Hour ran a fascinating interview today with novelist Kishwar Desai, about India’s burgeoning  surrogate baby industry. Her exploration of this massive business (an estimated 20,000 babies produced  each year) seems to differ from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale only … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Children, Culture, Film, Politics, Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Halal wine and other spiritual dilemmas

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Samira Ahmed

There is a fabulous Moroccan cafe called La Provence round the corner from my old office, on Grays Inn Road in London, where my Dad would come and take me for lunch sometimes. My Dad’s an observant Muslim and would tend … Continue reading →

Posted in Food/Drink, Religion, Science, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Don’t Go There, Lady

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Samira Ahmed

I wrote to journalist and future doctor Lucy Mathen as a child when she presented Newsround. More than 30 years later we met. I wrote a feature about it for The Guardian. And as a result of learning about how … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, journalism, Politics, Radio, Science, Travel, Uncategorized, War | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Why Professor Peter Higgs is Massive: the man behind the particle

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Samira Ahmed

This text is Copyright of the BBC. You can listen to this Profile documentary via the BBC website here. 3 years ago when the Large Hadron Collider was switched on at Cern in Geneva, few people had heard of Peter … Continue reading →

Posted in Radio, Science | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Natalie Wood’s last film: How Hollywood tried to wreck Brainstorm

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Samira Ahmed

This week the Los Angeles Police Department reopened enquiries into the death of Natalie Wood. Many people will not be aware of her work. She had been making the film Brainstorm (1983) at the time — and it’s such a … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

1951 then and now: Britain Mended, Britain on the Make

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Samira Ahmed

If you want to know what Britain was like before The Festival of Britain you should watch the masterful 1950 film noir, Night And The City. It features a chase around the industrial chimneys and postwar rubble of what was … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics/graphic novels, Culture, Design, Film, Religion, Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment