Week in Books: Anti-Valentine’s poetry to Why God won’t go away
Anti-Valentine’s Poetry slam 7.30pm Monday 14th February
The idea is simple; bring together a group of talented performance poets, and then challenge them to write and perform the worst valentine poem they can possibly come up with. Expect ‘roses are red, violets are blue and I’ve got a massive penis for you.’
Arch 10, Gales Gardens, E2 0EJ. Tickets £5
Alister McGrath 6pm Wednesday 16th February
Alister McGrath launches his new book ‘Why God Won’t Go Away’ tonight. Challenging the new dogmatic atheism, think Pullman and Dawkins, this event could produce some interesting debate. Or, simply be dogmatic theism.
Foyles, 113-119 Charing Cross Rd, London, WC2H 0EB. FREE
Literary Death Match 7pm Wednesday 16th February
LDM pits established and up-and-coming writers against each other in a night of poetry battling. A panel of rapier-witted judges, think X-Factor but without the meanness, and a lively audience whittle down the poets until only one is left.
??Shoreditch House, 13 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6AW. Tickets £8 ??
Bang Said The Gun 7.30pm Thursday 17th February
A Snipe favourite, Bang Said the Gun grabs poetry by its shoulders and shakes it until dirty, funny words fall out. It’s a stand up poetry night for those who don’t like poetry.
The Roebuck, 50 Great Dover St, SE. Tickets £5
11 Feb 2011
Interpretation of Memes: We can make iPhones for giants now, and other stuff the internet told us this week
Here are some things we saw online this week that really made us think.
Video of the week
The world’s largest touch screen has been unveiled in the sexy, cutting end town of Groningen, Netherlands. God only knows whether it has any use, but just imagine playing Angry Birds on it. [via likecool]
Words of the week
Ruud Gullit is settling in to life in Grozny (pictures of him eating local bread here) with this not at all self-important quote: “I’m not here for politics. I am here for the sport. I’ve been around the world. I have seen refugee camps, have been in dangerous places. But I do know one thing: football brings joy.” [via F365]
Feature we wish we’d thought of of the week
Flavorwire’s best art kisses of all time is very, very sexy. Especially the Toulouse-Lautrec.
Sundries
We doubt this study about when’s the best time for a football manager to make substitutions.
We like this poster of misshapen vegetables, and vow not to be seduced by appearances any more. When we’re buying vegetables, that is.
And finally, we recommend this BBC Four documentary about the fig leaf in art. Sample quote: “An erection was a sign of disobedience”. Yikes.
11 Feb 2011
Boris Johnson: campaigning on the rates in Bexleyheath
The biggest complaint from journalists covering City Hall is that it has become extremely difficult for them to actually put a face-to-face question to the Mayor
Soon after he was elected Boris cancelled the regular press conferences held at City Hall and told reporters that they could always come and speak to him on his many trips around the capital instead.
Looking to test this claim out, I went down to Bexleyheath Broadway this morning to watch Boris perform one of his many “meet and greet” walkabouts with voters.
I was told that there would be time to put some questions to the Mayor, so I prepared a couple of softballs on police numbers and what he plans to do for outer London if re-elected next year.
However, while there was lots of meeting and greeting between Boris, his Conservative colleagues and smiling pensioners, the time for questions never came.
After the umpteenth hand-shake with police officers I spotted that a local newspaper reporter had buttonholed him for a question and photo so I quickly stepped in.
He initially agreed to answer my question, but before I could even think about beginning, an aide stepped in and dragged him away to talk to some local business man or other.
Once that had finished I dodged past the flanking police officers and went in for a second attempt with the Mayor, who was by now quickly walking away.
Me: “Can I ask you that question now please Boris?”
Boris: “No I’ve really got to be getting going”
Me: “We can walk and talk”
Boris: “No, no I’ve really got to…
And before I could even think about trying for a third time, he was whisked away into the safe confines of the local Conservative-contolled Town Hall.
It was all very unsatisfactory and left me wondering why it is that we are being asked to pay for what are essentially little more than a series of campaigning events for Boris’s re-election next year.
By all means the Mayor should go out and talk to voters, but if journalists aren’t able to do anything other than take a few photos of him shaking hands then it really is something that should be paid for out of the Conservative Party Headquarters instead.
11 Feb 2011
Labour rebel faces Lambeth axe for cuts protest
A Labour councillor in Lambeth could be thrown out of his party for telling its leadership to “get real jobs” in a row over cuts.
Kingsley Abrams is charged with bringing the party into disrepute after clashing with leader Steve Reed and fellow cabinet members on Monday night.
The cabinet meeting approved a draft budget containing £37m of cuts, with backbencher Abrams joining local campaigners to protest against them.
Abrams was the only Labour councillor to have voted against the cuts when his party met to discuss them, and even appeared on a protest flyer when he was photographed on a previous demonstration against the council’s budget.
He is reported to have said he would “fight to the death” to protect a library in his Vassall ward, which is under threat of closure.
Abrams told cabinet members to “get yourselves real jobs”, and was then told by leader Reed that his behaviour was “disgraceful, coming from a Labour councillor”.
According to fellow Lambeth Labour councillor Mark Bennett:
“Shouting ensued between Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Cllr Pete Robbins, and Kingsley. The audience started shouting for Cabinet to apologise to Cllr Abrams. Chants of ‘apologise’ and ‘shame on you’. “
Now Abrams is accused by local party secretary Jenny Brathwaite of bringing Lambeth Labour into disrepute, intimidating members (he is alleged to have told a cabinet member to “piss off”), and breaking the confidentiality of Labour group meetings by revealing which way each member voted in its discussion over cuts.
An investigation is now taking place, with Abrams due to find out his fate on 21 February.
It’s not the first time Abrams has clashed with his own party. Politically neutral council staff were told to monitor his e-mail last year after allegations he was leaking sensitive material to the local press and Labour’s bitter local rivals in the Liberal Democrats – claims he has consistently denied.
Abrams, who was suspended from the party for four months, said the party tried to set him up by sending him a false news story in the expectation he would leak it. Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey accused Steve Reed of “shoddy behaviour” in pursuing the case against Abrams.
Ironically, Reed is facing his own hearing next week at the council’s standards committee, accused of using his blog to publish financial details about a Labour councillor who had defected to the Conservatives. If the committee rules against him, he could be banned from public office for a spell.
Kingsley Abrams has declined to comment on the allegations against him.
11 Feb 2011
First trailer for Russell Brand's desecration of Authur
In the latest entry in our ‘It Didn’t Need To Be Remade’ department, here is the first trailer released for Arthur, with Russell Brand taking Dudley Moore’s iconic role.
11 Feb 2011
Do you really wanna know by Papercuts
Recent Sub Pop signings Papercuts release new album, Fading Parade, (their fourth overall), on February 28th. The Californians make lush, delicately constructed dream-pop, surging with the shy, methodical, intensity of main man Jason Robert Quever. Some may detect elements of beach House’s hazy, shoegaze inspired sound in Papercuts’ work – the two bands have often collaborated at Quever’s home studio in San Francisco, where ‘Fading Parade’ was partially recorded.
Papercuts will be touring the U.S. in February, March and April, before hitting the U.K. later in the spring. Download next single ‘Do you really wanna know’, plus two bonus tracks, for free, here.
11 Feb 2011
London agenda for Friday 11 November
1. What if kids aged eight to 10 years old were asked to create a scene that represents their room in a shoebox then you went and looked at the the 125 pieces with adorable descriptions that are both funny and sad in equal measures. Shoebox Living [Le Cool]
2. Submerge oneself in a whole new world, exploring the memories of Eros in an immersive, theatrical experience of pure magic at Secret Garden Party [Run Riot]
3. Drink at the Royal Inn on the Park [Tired of London]
4. Visit the new Victory, by the people who brought you the Stag’s Head, featuring Cove, 72% Morrissey, Primo Leviathan, and Frau Pouch [London Gigs]
11 Feb 2011
Voice by Kerogen
Is there room for another contender in the world of moody, post-dubstep, atmospheric pop? Perhaps not, though Kerogen’s (pronounced ker-uh-juhn) proficiency in the field means he should slot in nicely alongside the likes of Blake, Woon, Burial, etc. His latest single, ‘Voice’, is available now through iTunes. Find out more via the Lewis Recordings website.
10 Feb 2011
Planningtorock
Bolton-born, Berlin-based operatic electronica star Janine Rostron has announced a second album under her Planningtorock moniker, to be released on James Murphy’s DFA label this May 16th. It will be called “W”. It may not be about George Bush the younger. But then it could be. Whether it is or not, a new album from Ms Rostron is a noteworthy event indeed, especially in the light of her work with The Knife on “Tomorrow, In A Year”, last year’s stunning electro opera, which ran for a few nights at The Barbican.
10 Feb 2011
Eduardo Paolozzi's Tottenham Court Road mural at risk from Tube refurbishment
Created and installed in the 1980s, Scottish sculptor and artist Eduardo Paolozzi’s tiled murals have long adorned the walls of Tottenham Court Road station’s ticketing halls and platforms. With refurbishments under way in preparation of the new Crossrail train line, Transport for London have not yet given an actual estimate of how much of the thousand-sqaure metre mural will be lost, only that some most certainly will. Ahead of the refurbishment, the French artist Daniel Buren has been commissioned to make new works for the completed station.
10 Feb 2011
Snipe Highlights
Some popular articles from past years
- Nice map of London's fruit trees shows you where to pick free food
- Summer Camp: Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days
- Margaret Thatcher statue rejected by public
- Silencing the Brick Lane curry touts could be fatal for the city's self-esteem
- Random Interview: Eileen Conn, co-ordinator of Peckham Vision
- An interview with Desiree Akhavan
- A unique collection of photos of Edwardian Londoners
- Nice Interactive timeline lets you follow Londoners' historic fight against racism
- Diary of the shy Londoner
- Could red kites be London's next big nature success story?
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