Before I get condemned for using the term in the title, it’s the title of the poem and even though I’ve starred out of some of the characters – it’s needed for you to understand the true meaning of this poem by renowned spoken word artist Dean Atta. He wrote this poem in 30 minutes, purely written out of passion after yesterday’s court hearing for the Stephen Lawrence. I’m not black and nor will I ever be able to fully understand the effect this word has but anyone with an ounce of intelligence would know how disgusting this term is. Murderers, plantation owners, racists, xenophobes and more used/still use this term, why use it? Why glorify it in your rap songs? Just no. I wish rappers would make clean versions of their albums without this term. More on the reverse.
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This Thursday (22nd) Channel 4 will start a brand new drama called London’s Burning. London’s Burning, set in Clapham Junction- one of the areas in which the riots affected; is an interpretation of a single night of rioting and looting that took place in August 2011. Starring Starring David Morrissey and Samantha Bondas senior police officers, we’ll be given insight into how residents, shopkeeers and business dealt with the violence. There is no doubt that the riots that took place earlier this year displayed violence that we as a generation had never witnessed; many of us have seen violence at it’s core but never on that scale so close to home. More info after the break.
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The folks over at Everynone continue to impress me with their creativity and this time, they touch the sensitive subject of bullying. Naturally you’d expect a bullying awareness video to shows the everyday life of bullied individuals in short sequences. From extreme close-ups to short clips of the bullying take place; the film highlights the topic well through it’s composition and definitely brings the harsh realities of bullying to life. As always with Everynone, the art direction and production is exquisite even when featuring such a topic.
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Topman Oxford Street are hosting a free event featuring sets from the likes of Zane Lowe, Rob da Bank, The Maccabees, Huw Stephens, Eddy Temple-Morris and a whole host of DJs throughout the day. The event is to celebrate the launch of CALMZone London Helpline. CALM is a campaign against living miserably and support young men who are depressed; the new CALMZone London helpline and texting service launches on 26th November to help prevent suicide which is the biggest killer of young men in London… learn something new everyday! Anyway, if you happen to be in the Oxford street area then head over to Topman anytime from noon. More info on CALM and the event after the break.
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Before we get started, my other half is writing this post. I’ll let her take over….
Here’s a bit of a random question for you: do you think your birth certificate is just any old piece of paper? Think again – and then seriously re-think that…again again. There are 75 million young girls all around the world born without a registered birth certificate. Sadly, these girls are often forced into pre-mature marriage and/or are denied the right to a proper education. PLAN UK is fully breaking the mould of charity fundraising with their latest ‘Because I’m a Girl’ campaign. Last week saw the launch of a pretty amazing and truly thought-provoking next generation interactive video app on Facebook, which puts you – yes, YOU in the shoesies of these less fortunate girls.
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Brace yourself, this video isn’t for the light hearted. I watched it at an event a few weeks back, never have I felt so selfish and so grateful for my freedom. We live in the so called ‘golden age of freedom‘ and yet slavery is at an all time high. Martin Luther King and Gandhi may have won freedom for their people but 27 million people around the world are currently deprived of their freedom. Of that 27, 11 million are sex slaves. How have we let this happen? Whereas first world problems include missing out the H&M x Versace collaboration after queuing 24 hours for it. We forget what’s happening in the world around us with all these distractions, including materialism. Sigh. More on the reverse.
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Today is the day when we here in the UK along with other countries in the Commonwealth remember and give thanks to members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty during World War I. The red poppy has become a symbol that is now associated with this time of year and the reason for this, for those who don’t know, is because these poppies began to sprout across some of the worst battlefields after the war had come to an end. Their bright red colour is a perfectly bold colour and appropriately symbolises the blood shed during these horrific time. Please take a moment out today, preferably at the 11th hour, to say a little prayer and remember the ones we have lost.
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