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:

culutrepulse@hotmail.co.uk

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:

akilahholder@yahoo.com

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:

boxoffice@edbookfest.co.uk

admin@edbookfest.co.uk

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

blackcanadians@gmail.com

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:

info@nubianjak.com or visit

www.nubianjak.com

or call 0800 093 0400

Dr Alcindor, the

'Black doctor of

Paddington'.

18

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this page in the next issue of

Culturepulse magazine.

for further information

and our advertising rates call:

07920752131 or email

culturepulse@hotmail.co.uk

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?

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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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