culturepulse magazine issue 26
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A vibrant magazine exploring the diaspora and beyond...TRANSCRIPT
1
Can Africa
feed the
world?
Issue No 26 August 2014
The Black
Dr of
Paddington
5G is coming
2
Contents......
House of Ashes p.4
Forced marriages a thing of the past... p.6
Zero Five Fifty p.9
Time on your hands p.12
Sommelier Awards p.15
Notting Hill at 50? p.19
Claudia Jones p.23
Book Review p.29
NHC, what does 50 years mean? p. 31
The Missing pages of England's History
p.33
Published by Culturepulse through Issuu.
Editor - David Kalloo
Advertising and sales - 07920752131
Production and design - Cashewmedia
Contact:
www.issuu.com/culturepulse
twitter: @culturepulse1
Contributing writers:
Ansel Wong, Mas Assassin, Nichola MacDonald, Soshina Stephen,
Nasser Khan (Trinidad), Caroline Muraldo, Jimmy Kainja (Malawi),
Akilah Holder-Stewart (Trinidad), Tessa Robinson, Pax Nindi, R.Kalloo,
D.A.Kalloo, Juliet Davey.
Photography contributions: Chris Boothman, Linda Kalcov, David Wears
and Cashewmedia
Culturepulse magazine is developed and produced by Cashewmedia and
Culturepulse.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means without prior consent from the publisher.
The views expressed by contributors to Culturepulse magazine are not
necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team.
Copyright to some contributions are those of the authors and permission
for any reproduction or use in any form should be obtained directly from
the authors themselves.
Culturepulse accepts no responsibility for any inaccuracy by contributors
or for advertising content therein.
Contents......
A Dangerous preoccupation p.4
Prostate Cancer UK p.7
Can Africa feed the world? p.8
5G is coming p.13
The Black Dr of Paddington p.17
Did you know? p.20
Book Review p.21
3
4
by Akilah Holder-Stewart
In 2004, Californian cosmetologist, Apryl
Michelle Brown, visited a “pumper” – an
unlicensed person – for an illegal butt
injection, and by 2006, she had developed
a serious infection that resulted in the
amputation of all of her limbs in 2012.
Her story was featured in the November
2012 issue of Essence. In the interview,
Brown recalled being teased throughout
her life for her flat “pancake” booty. So
desperate had she become to have a bigger
and fuller behind, that she resorted to
visiting a “pumper” to have the bottom
that she had always desired; and as noted
before, the outcome was disastrous. The
“pumper” injected industrial grade silicone
into her buttock according to the Essence
feature.
Brown is one of an increasing number of
black women who are opting for illegal
butt injections to increase the size of their
bottoms. In fact, more and more black
women are getting such injections as
reported by dailybeast.com. African-
American dermatologist, Dr. Lisa Ginn, is
quoted on dailybeast.com as stating that
this is so because the groundwork for such
cosmetic surgical procedures is already
there in the black community – the
fascination in the black community with
bigness.
In effect, Brown’s case acts as a pivot for
my research into this preoccupation that
blacks have with fatness. This
preoccupation, I have since discovered,
has its roots in Africa. Marieclaire.com
states that, “the ideal of feminine beauty in
Mauritania, a country one-and-a-half times
the size of Texas and blanketed in desert,
is like America's cult of superthinness in
reverse. Mauritanian tradition holds that
among women, rolling layers of fat are the
height of sexiness.” Mauritania is a West
African nation. Abigail Haworth, senior
international editor at Marie Claire reports
in the article – Forced to be Fat – that
young girls are sent to fat houses or fat
camps in Mauritania where they are forced
fed in preparation for marriage. They are
fed a diet of goat’s milk, oily couscous,
pounded millet mixed with water and
made to eat their own vomit if they throw
up. The process continues until these
young girls, from the age of 7 even, have
gotten to the desired size.
Bbc.com reports that fattening rooms or
“fat houses” exist too in the Nigerian city
of Calabar. Happiness, a native of Nigeria
states in the report that “…after eating, you
can take a bath. From there you can sleep,
you sleep fine, you wake up, you eat, you
sleep.” Happiness spent six months in the
fattening room “at the request of her
husband Morris Eyo Edem, leading up to
their wedding.” At the end of the six
months, she had grown quite corpulent.
She goes on to say that fatness is a sign of
wealth, as the rich often take advantage of
the “fat houses” and any woman who has
not gone through the fatting process does
not qualify for marriage.
Thus, “the fattening room is at the center
of a centuries-old rite of passage from
maidenhood to womanhood. The months
spent in pursuit of poundage are
supplemented by daily visits from elderly
matrons who impart tips on how to be a
successful wife and mother…,” as stated in
Where Fat Is a Mark of Beauty, by L.A.
Times staff writer Ann M. Simmons. So,
“in contrast to many Western cultures
A dangerous
preoccupation:
fatness in the black
community
5
where thin is in, many culture-conscious
people in the Efik and other communities
in Nigeria’s southeastern Cross River state
hail a woman’s rotundity as a sign of good
health, prosperity and allure.” The same
beliefs are held in other African nations as
in the case of Mauritania.
So while African-American author, Alice
Randall, came under some heat for her
recent nytimes op-ed on Black Women and
Fat, where she posits that black women are
fat because they want to be and that is a
result of the black community lionizing
fatness, she may not be that wrong. In
fact, she herself has confessed that as a
child growing up in the sixties, she would
pray for big thighs like those of her dance
teacher; she recalled the horror she felt
upon hearing songs like Joe Tex’s 1967
“Skinny legs and all” in which Tex decries
slender women and glorifies big women
by suggesting that it is difficult for a
slender woman, worse yet, a skinny one, to
attract a mate: “"Hey Joe", "Yeah Bobby?
"Why don't you take her?", "You a fool? I
don't want no woman with no skinny
legs."”
Lonnae O’Neal Parker in his Washington
Post article, Black Women Heavier and
Happier with their bodies than White
Women, Poll finds, recalls his “big
aunties” when he was a child jumping up
to dance to “Brick House” by the
Commodores in 1977. “She’s a brick
house/Mighty just letting it all hang
out/she’s a brick house/the lady’s stacked
and that’s a fact.”
Trinidad and Tobago has a similar culture
as evidenced in Lord Kitchener’s 1970 hit,
“Sugar Bum Bum” – “Audrey wey you get
dat sugar/darling there is nothing
sweeter/You torture me, de way you
wine/I love to see your fat behind” And
then there is Machel Montano’s “Big
Truck”, Iwer George’s “Bottom in de
Road” and the experiences of Miss
Universe 1998, Wendy Fitzwilliam as
talked about in an interview with CTV
anchor Paul Richards, where she stated
that she was often teased for being skinny,
with one guy lamenting that she needed
some “meat on her bones”.
But this fascination is not o.k., for some
black women may take things as far as
Brown did. The fact is, if you are fed with
a certain belief system over and over
again, you come to believe it as true, as
reality; you internalize it and begin to see
yourself as an anomaly so that you start
craving “the norm” as “the norm” is
presented to you. This is how white
Europeans and then white Americans
convinced blacks that they were inferior.
Some may argue that it is culture and you
shouldn’t get involved; the West has its
way of doing things, the East another. But
culture is manmade as a pastor’s wife put
it some years ago, and so, not always
accurate.
Apart from the plastic surgery concerns,
there is also the obesity concern. The
marieclaire.com article above cites a West
African doctor, Dr. Mohammed Ould
Madene who states that, “the fat ideal is ‘a
grave matter of public health.” The article
goes on to state that he is “alarmed by the
number of patients he sees with diabetes,
hypertension, heart disease and depression.
He mentions the recent case of a girl who
was rushed to clinic unconscious. ‘She
was only 14, but so huge that her heart had
almost collapsed under the strain’.
So while we have accepted fatness as o.k.,
and we glorify it, sing songs about it and
while some of us boast in it, it is a
dangerous preoccupation. Thus, it must be
re-examined and tossed out.
Author’s e-mail:
6
Set in a specially created tented village in Charlotte Square Gardens in the
heart of Edinburgh, the Edinburgh International Book Festival offers
something for just about every age and every interest, bringing readers and
writers together for inspiration, entertainment and discussion.
We welcome more than 800 authors in over 700 events each year including
novelists, poets, scientists, philosophers, sportsmen, illustrators, comics
creators, historians, musicians, biographers, environmentalists, economists,
Nobel and Booker prize-winners and many more.
For further information please contact:
or telephone +44(0)845 373 5888 for admin call +44(0)131 718
5666
7
La Trinity Carnival Band gets
set to shout about prostate
cancer at Notting Hill
Carnival La Trinity Carnival Band is gearing up to
raise awareness of the increased risk of
prostate cancer in black men at this year’s
Notting Hill Carnival. One in four black
men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer
at some point in their lifetime – double the
lifetime risk faced by all men in the UK.
Urging black African and African
Caribbean men to wise up to their risk of
the disease, the 150-people-strong costume
band will be out in force with Prostate
Cancer UK volunteers to highlight the
dangers – and what people can do about it.
A recent survey carried out by YouGov for
Prostate Cancer UK revealed that nine in
ten black men (90%), who are at higher
than average risk of prostate cancer, are
unaware of their increased vulnerability,
and over two thirds (69%) of black men
admitted that, even if they were aware but
didn’t have any symptoms, they wouldn’t
speak to their GP about it. It means
thousands of black men may miss out on
being diagnosed at an early stage, when
treatment for the disease is most effective.
With its Trinidadian inspired roots, La
Trinity has been taking part in the carnival
for over 20 years. This year the band is
determined to spread the message about
prostate cancer and the importance of
speaking to a health professional about the
disease.
Suresh Rambaran is a member of the band
and a Specialist Prostate Cancer Nurse at
Prostate Cancer UK. He
comments; “Carnival reaches the people
like nothing else and it’s a smooth move
for Prostate Cancer UK and La Trinity to
get together in this way to catch attention
with a message that matters. An alarming
one in four of us black men will develop
prostate cancer in their lifetime but most
have no idea of their special vulnerability
to the disease. We still don’t know exactly
why our community faces higher risk but
we do know that the earlier the cancer is
detected, the more treatable it is.
Awareness of your risk and speaking to
your doctor about it is therefore essential.
“I’ve been going to Notting Hill Carnival
since 1978 - nowhere on earth compares to
the vibrant, party atmosphere and I can’t
wait to be part of it again. If you’re
planning to come along, look out for La
Trinity and the Prostate Cancer UK float
and ask your partners, dads and brothers if
they’ve spoken to their doctor about their
prostate cancer risk. It could save their
life.”
Prostate Cancer UK has launched a
campaign to find the answers behind the
increased risk of prostate cancer in black
men. To find out more and to help spread
the word visit:
www.prostatecanceruk.org/black-
community
For further information about prostate
cancer or to speak to a Specialist Prostate
Cancer Nurse like Suresh, call 0800 074
8383 or visit www.prostatecanceruk.org.
8
By D.T. Kalloo
The media have always presented us with
images of Africa as a continent of starving
population and one of utter destitution. In
reality, Africa is a thriving continent. Like
any other continent and country, Africa
has its problems too. Let us not forget and,
I borrow a few words from Walter Rodney
‘Europe Underdeveloped Africa.’
Today, very little has changed, Europe
continues to stagnate Africa’s development
with economic and other policies
seemingly meant on dragging Africa back
into the dark ages.
Africa is now being targeted as the new
world food basket by large industrial
agricultural corporation including China,
Brazil the US and Europe. Nearly 98% of
crops grown by foreign industries in
African is shipped out of the continent
bound for the supermarkets in the western
world for consumption while in the very
countries these crops are grown there is
famine and starvation and lack of medical
facilities and clean water. In Kenya where
the country is face with dire need for fresh
drinking water, this problem hardly affects
the growing of roses and mange tout that
reaches British supermarkets.
As well as harvested crops not finding its
way into local consumption, Africa’s
agricultural progress is unable to flourish
with the ‘green revolution’ enabling
farmers to increase crop yields through
fertiliser, irrigation and improved seeds
which, through exorbitant cost have
stagnated African farmers.
The poor infrastructure in many African
farming communities mean that the cost of
what they pay for fertilisers are at least
82% higher than those of farmers in say,
Thailand or India. Apart from the
inadequate infrastructure, the continent is
plagued with corruption in governments,
something that is inherent and blighted
former colonial nations. Civil unrest and
wars also contribute to the problems faced
on the continent that severely hampers
infrastructure.
So why is multinational corporations
heading to the African continent for a
world food solution? According to an
Argentine agronomist Miguel Bosch who
said. ‘If you were to send God a letter
asking for the best soil and climate
conditions for farming. He would send you
to northern Mozambique, it’s a paradise
for growers.’ Fertile farmland, like water
is becoming a commodity in its own right
Can Africa feed the world?
9
and, its value is escalating wherever these
commodities exists today. Thus global
corporations are moving in with all their
stealth to hood-winked those countries into
accepting very little in return for
multimillion dollar profits for these foreign
corporations.
One Chinese corporation have bulldozed
hundreds of farms near Xai-Xai in
Mozambique to make way for their 50,000
acre farm along the stretch of the Limpopo
River Delta. Not only does this affect
lands and rights for small farmers but
could cut off the vital water supply for the
remaining farmers along that region.
To add insult to injury, no one from the
thousands who have lost their farms to the
Wanbao African Agricultural
Development Company have been
compensated. Since 2007 there has been
record prices for corn, soybeans, wheat
and rice. This meant that large
corporations were eager to invest and lease
fertile lands where acreage is cheap and in
many cases where property rights are
ignored.
In Ethiopia, a country ravaged by famine,
the situation for local farmers is dire.
Farmers are not reaching their potential
yield. Many of them are still using hand
tools and animals for ploughing, planting
and harvesting. This method is hampering
farmers from maximising harvest where
they currently produce a third below the
average harvest. One third of Ethiopia’s
population are malnourished and the
government are slow in courting industrial
farms to aid in closing the gap that could
potentially, not only feed the country but
also export the surplus.
Educating farmers and people in rural
districts have also been one hurdle that has
been successfully addressed in recent
years. After almost 25 years of ‘virtually
no investment’ the World Bank have taken
an initiative and provided investment
where farmers and other entrepreneurs
have benefited. Almost one in three Sub
Saharan Africans now own a mobile phone
enabling them to run small businesses,
transfer money and mobile banking. This
has eliminated the need to travel long
distances to facilitate these transactions.
These are small steps that are constantly
making a difference in improving the lives
of those who were hampered by the lack of
these services.
Meeting the challenges for food
production cannot remain in a primeval
state, which in the case with almost 70%
of farmers working on one acre plots.
Kick starting an agricultural revolution
means that poor farmers will eventually
lose out if large corporations don’t invest
with these said farmers. Without a doubt,
the agricultural development in Africa
needs a massive cash investment
infrastructure, incorporating both private
and governmental directives providing
technology and cooperation with small and
medium farmers, alongside large
corporations. This way all parties profit
from their investment and significantly
reducing famine, unemployment and
poverty not just in Africa but further
afield.
10
It must be said that some corporations
have moved to educating, training and
employing affected farmers. In
Mozambique for example, one Chinese
company have built roads, schools, an
airport, a soccer stadium and other
facilities in what some say are curry
favouring the government. It is claimed
that with 89 million acres of arable land,
so far some six million acres have been
leased mainly to foreign investors. The
downside to these investments are that
there is no infrastructure for maintenance
and 99% of all profits is siphoned out of
these countries so despite investment
Africa continues to be stagnated by
underdevelopment.
All is not doom and gloom however with
smaller farmers. One in many a success
stories is a farmer in Zambia who has
turned the country from a banana
importing nation to one that now export its
crops. The 3,500 acre banana plantation
employs nearly 3000 people year round.
The large scale farm has helped to bring
electricity to nearby villages, improved
roads, water and new schools to the area
and on top of that enabling local labour
thus enhancing the quality of life where it
would not have been possible as small
independent farmers who hawked their
produce in local markets.
Landesa, a Seattle based company is
working in conjunction with small famers
to secure their land rights and supporting a
leveraging so both farmers and investors
yield benefits from productivity and
thriving markets. In this way the potential
for jobs, infrastructure and food production
and security are enhanced benefiting
communities on a whole. Many small
farmers are happy to give up their farms
and work for the large industrial farms
without hesitation.
According to natgoefood.com by 2050 we
will need to feed over 2 billion people and
food production corporations are now
looking towards the fertile farmlands of
Africa to do so. With African regions
rapidly urbanising, losing farmers in its
wake, the belief is that modern farming
technology is the key to making Africa the
potential breadbasket of the world.
11
African Festival 2014
Come and celebrate African culture at a festival
in Trafalgar Square.
The festival is organised by the Mayor of London
as [part of the Black History Month 2014
celebrations. There's something for everyone at
this free family event.
The packed line-up includes live music, fashion,
dance, stalls, food, plus lots of activities for kids.
African Festival 11 October 2014
Trafalgar Square 12pm to 6pm Admission Free
12
You are cordially invited to the
Black Canadian Mayoral
Forum proudly presented by
the Diversity Advancement
Network.
This is an opportunity to meet
and hear directly from the
candidates running for Mayor
in the city of Toronto on topics
that really matter.
The evening promises to be an
exciting one as Mayor Rob
Ford, John Tory, Olivia Chow,
Dewitt Lee and Karen Stintz
have all confirmed their
attendance. Several
Community & Organization
leaders, Artists, Business
Professionals as well as
regular / people of influence
are also expected to be
present. Invitation to this great
event is open to anyone
interested in attending and not
restricted to any race, age or
gender.
If you don't live n Toronto you
can still attend. We will be
having a few candidates
running for Councillor in
attendance to briefly
talk about why they are
running for office. We will also
be having a few other
interesting fun activities and
celebrations at this event. You
can also send us your
questions or suggestions
through email or the
registration form.
The event details are outlined
below:
Date: Friday, August 29th,
2014
Time: 5:00 pm - 9:30pm
Venue: Novotel Hotel, 3 Park
Home Avenue, Toronto, ON
M2N 6L3
Entry Cost: Admission is Free
but we recommend seat
reservations on
http://blackcanadians.com or
through email
13
When 4G was introduced we were told
that it was the new supersonic speed
technology for mobile devices, it turned
out that 4G took longer to get out of the
starting blocks and left us all waiting for
its adrenalin to kick in.
Well hold on to your horses’ folks, 5G is
on its way. The new ultra-fast mobile
connectivity that will be with us by 2020.
It promises to be 100 times faster than the
current 4G. Surprise, surprise developers
of the new technology claims it would be
faster than 4G. Let’s be honest, you would
expect it to be, wouldn’t you?
A collection of universities and Huawei,
the world’s giant in telecoms equipment
maker are working collectively in
developing 5G. The new 5G will allow
you to download a two and a half hour
movie in just 4 seconds, compared to six
minutes with the present 4G.
Developers say the new technology would
not only be faster but will allow mobile
operators to ‘blanket huge swathes of the
less developed world in ultrafast data
connectivity without the cost of huge
underground fibre rollout.’ It means the
new technology will benefit and boost
online services and access to information
to compete globally. The EU is currently
investing over 700m Euros (£554m) while
other companies are pouring in an
additional 3bn Euros for 5G development.
5G technology
on its way. Your
advertisement
could be on
this page in
the next issue of
Culturepulse
magazine.
for further information
and our advertising rates call:
07920752131
or email
culturepulse@ hotmail.co.uk
14
15
The 2014 London African Music Festival will again run for 10 days across 16 venues in London.
The festival is being produced by 10 producers under the direction of founder Biyi Adepegba of
Joyful Noise.
LAMF line-up features: Bombino (Niger), Sekouba Bambino (Guinea), Kanda Bongoman
(Congo), vocalist Ghalia Benali (Tunisia), Rise Kagona of Bhundu Boys fame (Malawi), King
Ayisoba (Ghana), vovalist Coco Mbassi (Cameroon) and violist Samy Bishai (Egypt).
Making their London debut are Malian singer Mamani Keita (Mali) and Swedish/Senagalese
couple SouSou and Maher Cissoko. DJ Voodoo Funk (aka DJ Frank Gossner) presents his
treasure of vinyl records he collected on his travels through Africa.
Two mainstay of British-African misic guitarist Abdul Tee-Jay (Sierra Leone) and pianist Juwon
Ogungbe (UK/Nigeria) play solo in the afternoon at Green Note Club. The British-Ghanaian funk
band Yaaba Funk and Nigerian afrobeat band The Rhythms are two bands that know how to put
the funk in the grooves adding to the ten days of wonderful music.
"The London African Music Festival is an impressively eclectic affair" Robin Denselow, The Guardian
This year's festival venues: The Forge, Islington Assembly Hall, The Vortex Jazz Club, Green
Note Club, Upstairs at the Ritzy, Rich Mix, Hackney Attic, Charlton House, Cafe Oto,
Passing Clouds, The Flyover Portobello, Canada Water Culture Space, Cargo, The
Tabernacle, Hootananny Brixton, Union Chapel.
For further information check:
joyfulnoise.co.uk
Twitter: @the_lamf
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonAfricanMusicFestival
16
17
By D.Kalloo
On Wednesday 16th July the Nubian Jak
Community Trust unveiled a Blue
Heritage Plaque in honour of Dr John
Alcindor at The Medical Centre, Harrow
Road. Many of the guest gathered at the
ceremony had no idea, or had never heard
of Dr John Alcindor, known as the 'Black
doctor of Paddington'.
So who was John Alcindor? Dr Alcindor
was born in Trinidad in 1873. He studied
at St Mary's College in Port of Spain and
later at Edinburgh University.
Having been rejected by the Royal Army
Medical Corps in 1914 because of his
colonial origin, in other words being black,
he became a volunteer with the British Red
Cross and served helping returning
wounded soldiers from the battlefields of
the first World War. In recognition for his
services with the Red Cross he was
honoured with the Red Cross Medal after
the war.
Dr Alcindor went on to serve his
community in Paddington in his capacity
as a medical doctor and later became the
district medical officer for Paddington in
1921 and served until his death in 1924.
Professor Gus John in paying tribute to a
great Caribbean son offered 'libation' with
a flask of rum, a tradition common in most
African cultures. He said the unveiling of
the Blue Plaque was a fitting tribute to Dr
Alcindor as many of our great sons and
daughters have been 'airbrushed out of
British history'. The Acting High
Commissioner for Trinidad and Tobago
Mrs Reshma Bissoon-Dookie said "Dr
Alcindor's achievements in the medical
and military fields as well as his ardour for
service and racial equality, serve as a
testament to the impact one can have on
society regardless of origin."
Dr Alcindor went beyond his medical
profession, he was a keen cricketer and
championed social and political issues in
his community. He gave over 1000 hours
of service to the British Red Cross and
made over 1500 home visits as a doctor in
the Paddington district. Historian Jeff
Green said; "For over 20 years Dr
Alcindor aided thousands of people in
Paddington. His death was a great loss to
the sick and to the Caribbean and African
community."
Honouring Dr John at a time when the
world marks the centenary of WW1 is a
fitting tribute to a son of
African/Caribbean heritage when most of
the colonial efforts have been virtually
erased.
The Blue Plaque in honour of Dr John
Alcindor was made possible through the
Nubian Jak Community Trust with support
from the Edward Harvist Trust.
For information about the Nubian Jak
Community Trust email:
[email protected] or visit
www.nubianjak.com
or call 0800 093 0400
Dr Alcindor, the
'Black doctor of
Paddington'.
18
Your advertisement could be on
this page in the next issue of
Culturepulse magazine.
for further information
and our advertising rates call:
07920752131 or email
19
20
Did you know that eating grapefruit for
breakfast is harmful if under certain
medication from your doctor? As many as
85 medications prescribed by doctors can
cause increased blood levels, calcium
blocking, cholesterol lowering statins,
antibiotics and certain clot-busting
medications are among those affected by
drinking grapefruit juice or consuming the
fruit itself. If in doubt please contact your
pharmacist at once.
Did you know that your dishwasher is not
as efficient as you may have thought in
cleaning your dishes? A study in almost
100 cities in six continents found that the
rubber around the door in 62% of
dishwashers contain a fungus potentially
dangerous to health. The black yeast can
resist heat, salt and aggressive detergents.
Back to brillo pads, vim and ashes.
Did you know that the bronze lions that sit
at the foot of Nelson's column Trafalgar
Square are called The Landseer Lions?
They were named after their creator, Sir
Edward Landseer and made from melted
down cannons from the defeated fleets in
the Battle of Trafalgar. They were finished
in 1867 a decade late and surprise, surprise
hugely over budget.
Did you know that it is becoming harder
for the KKK to recruit new members?
Things have become so dire that the KKK
are now offering young children sweets in
Oconee County, South Carolina in an
effort to lure them into becoming
members.
Did you know that the amount of wind
turbines bursting into flames are 10 times
higher than what is currently reported? A
spokesperson for the Imperial College
said, 'The figure of 1 in 7 is inaccurate and
its more in the region of 117.'
Did you know that the Embankment lamps
are an iconic functional part of the river
Thames? In 1870 the Metropolitan Board
of Works advertised various designs for
the lamps on the Victorian Embankment
for the public to decide. The two chosen
were George Vulliamy's 'dolphin lamp'
and Joseph Bazalgette's classical tripod
lamps with iron motifs.
Did you know you could indulge .in a
whole new exciting world of face painting
at Charles H Fox in London? Go and
explore the wonders of face painting with
the kids or just be a kid yourself and have
some fun.
Charles H Fox 22 Tavistock Street,
London
Did you know?
21
By Rhianna Kalloo
Tom
Barbash's
collection
of short
stories,
Stay
Up
With
Me, is a
collection that is
intriguing, humorous, and
can be considered to be a mirror showing
us what makes us human - our emotions
and relationships with those around us.
Barbash has created a collection of short
stories that are thought-provoking, making
the reader think about our emotions and
experiences by making the situations in all
of the stories feel realistic and absorbing,
but yet - on occasions - unpredictable and
frustrating. Stories such as The Break and
Letters From The Academy explore
frustration, nurturing and the pain of
having to let go; while Somebody's Son
and Birthday Girl explore the unlikely
connections and relationships we form
with those around us, and Balloon Night
tackles the task of saving face despite
being caught in a maelstrom of emotions.
Each of Barbash's stories explores
some of the most difficult and
tumultuous emotions that human beings
can face at any given moment through any
of our interactions.
Barbash has created a collection that oozes
verisimilitude and conveys the same
intimacy of a close friend sharing
anecdotes, by using his writing to mirror
human emotions and behaviour in our
everyday lives - showing that every day
holds the potential for incredulity, disaster
and love.
Book Review.....
Tom Barbash at the London launch of his
new book with Rhianna Kalloo
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