Haringey Independence Day 2009

Yesterday, Denise and I were at the Haringey Independence Day event. We ran a stall for Spectrum London. This is the 2nd year we have attended, and we learnt our lessons well. Last year, we brought heaps of literature for the stall. It was an achievement for any one to see behind the teetering piles of paper :P This year, it was a lot less, and less to carry home too.

http://www.haringey.org.uk/independenceday/

You can get an idea of what it was all about there, though It probably won't give you the feeling of the event. One of the most constructive, inclusive and friendly events I've been to in a long time. The sun was out, and it was a lovely day. I got a new friend who is called jeffrey. It is a Peace Lily, which is one of my favourites. Now I have one plant, I expect it won't be long before Mikey Mansions becomes home to more flora in the near future.

Lots of workshops and films, which we both missed as we stayed on the stall for the most part. We had a few interested folks taking literature and met some great people. Most folks looked, and moved on. A few raised their eyebrows but nothing negative. We were well placed, by the food area which was very convenient. We snacked away with organic lemonade, scrumptious salads and carrot cake. Denise made some good contacts with some folks involved in Domestic Abuse issues in local london boroughs. We had copies of the press release for the Trans Domestic Abuse online survey which launches Monday, and this was very well received. It was nice to get some honest views from some folks, thanking Spectrum for the work that we do. I think I blushed a few times :=]

I managed to get a couple of the Visteon t'shirts (in XL, which was a blessing as it only just fit me!)

Last year, Reel News ( http://www.reelnews.co.uk/ ) filmed, and as they had a stall there I tried to get a copy of the issue with a report on last years HID. It was the one edition they hadn't brought with them, still we have a copy on its way through the post to us. They were also interested in the short film that Spectrum London produced for this years LGBT History Month, and we may have it included in a later edition (once we have sorted out copyright clearance issues).

I met a few old friends from the past which was great. One of them was there with the food stall, which did an amazing job feeding all the hungry attendees. If you are looking for a vegan caterer for your event, then check them out. They are non profit making, concentrating on producing gorgeous vegan grub. I watched as the cake stall was replenished periodically with fresh out of the oven slices of wonderfulness :D Their website is http://www.vegancampaigns.org.uk/ or you can write to :

Vegan Campaigns
BM 2300
London
WC1N 3XX


Email via info@vegancampaigns.org.uk

At the end of the day, we joined the final workshop session where in the far to short amount of time left, we discussed ways forward from the event. Some excellent ideas, with folks committing themselves to work together bringing them to fruition.

We missed the after party as I wasn't feeling too good, with what felt like a horrible head cold coming on, though it could be related to finally kicking the smoking habit.

I can't wait for next year, so much to do but all good stuff!

Haringey Independence Day: Community DIY for the Credit Crunch

This event is on tomorrow. Last years event was an excellent day, and Spectrum ran a stall there, and will be again this year. Lots to see and do, including kids with a free creche, face painting and entertainment.

More information at http://www.haringey.org.uk/independenceday/

Haringey Independence Day: Community DIY for the Credit Crunch

Saturday 30th May, 12 noon to 6pm (with kids activities from 10.15am)

West Green Learning Centre, West Green Road, N15

The recession might be making life more difficult for many of us, but campaign and community groups in Haringey are looking at alternative ways of organising and making real changes to improve our lives.

Haringey Independence Day brings these groups together for a day of discussions, workshops, stalls and films. It's a day of independence from party politics (not an expense claim in sight), religion and government, where individuals and groups in Haringey can exchange ideas, get inspired and make our own plans for a summer of radical recession-busting and resistance. A wide variety of groups will be participating, including Haringey Solidarity Group, Sustainable Haringey, Naturewise, Haringey Federation of Residents’ Associations, Haringey Cycling Campaign and Haringey Independent Cinema.

From growing your own food and cycling, to looking at radical solutions to redundancies and repossessions, the day includes a whole range of activities for all ages. There’s a Dr Bike session and a ‘Give or Take’ community recycling event. Film showings throughout the day include Post Code Wars followed by a discussion by the pupils from Park View Academy who made it, and there’s a special guest performance from poet and songwriter John Hegley, organised by the Kids Collective Arts group.

Local resident Marlene Barrett, one of the people involved in organising the day, said: "Last year’s Haringey Independence Day was a huge success, with over 250 people taking part, and we hope this year’s will be even bigger and better. There’s something for everyone - an opportunity to share news, views, ideas and experiences, to find out what’s going on, to get inspired, to get involved or maybe to start something new."

Another local resident and organiser, Tony Wood, said: “We want to find ways to support each other, without relying on banks and other institutions who just prey on us for profit.”

NOTES:

1. Full details of workshops and stalls at http://www.haringey.org.uk/independenceday

2. This free event is organised by individuals and supported by Haringey Independent Cinema, Radical History Network, Haringey Solidarity Group and Haringey Justice for Palestinians.

3. The venue is West Green Learning Centre, Park View Academy, West Green Road, N15 3RB. The building is fully wheelchair accessible.

4. Kids are welcome (with children's films from 10.15am to noon) and there’s a free crèche.

squirrels, pigeons, blue tits and foxes....

its been a quiet bank holiday weekend, no great adventures -unless you count going out into the street in my bare feet to chase a cat away that was lying in wait for squirrels.

We get a number of visitors, looking for a nibble, and this weekend its been hectic. Another bunch of squirrels, taking turns to scrap on the window sill, whilst grabbing nuts from the bowl. It occasionally gets hairy when one of them comes into the living room window, and realises 'shit! I'm in a house!' We then get panic scrabbling letmeoutletmeoutnow sorta stuff, before she finally manages to flee the way she came in.

...and what is so nice to see, is that the local bird life have cottoned on to the bowls of nuts we put out, and have been having their own peanut picnic on the window sill.

...for some reason I have been waking at about 5 am every morning this week. Shame about the loss of snooze time, but it is compensated by the birdy chorus.

I tend to open the window to allow the birds and squirrels to reach the bowls of nuts, and the other morning I was pleasantly surprised to find a fox waiting for me under the window. She didn't seem freaked, just curious, and having a good time helping herself to the odd pile of nuts that had been overlooked by the rest of the hungry neighbours.

We haven't seen any sign of the mice since we removed the one we caught the other month. Denise took it out to the woods near here, which is probably a good thing as we would probably run out of nuts with so many nibblers visiting!

It is one of my most favourite things, experiencing the day so early on. 5 am and you get the birdy choral performance, the occasional squabble between squirrels and the odd wood pigeon, blue tit or jackdaw hoovering up any nuts on the grass out front. I don't think I could put a price on it, y'know? Our rent isn't that cheap here, but the bonus of the peace and quiet, the local wildlife, woods for walking and so on makes it less of a burden, and just a slight annoyance...well, ish :=]

so thats my Bill Oddie bit for the week done, I'd like to say....always make time to stop and smell the flowers... after all, we all get there in the end, so lets enjoy the journey :D

Salt Of The Earth (1954)

another gem from the internet Archive site...

http://www.archive.org/details/salt_of_the_earth

"Salt Of The Earth"

Tells the tale of a real life strike by Mexican-American miners. The story is set in a remote New Mexico town where the workers live in a company town in company owned shacks without basic plumbing. Put at risk by cost cutting bosses, the miners strike for safe working conditions. As the strike progresses the issues at stake grow beyond that, driven by the workers' wives. At first the wives are patronized by the traditional patriarchical culture, however they assert themselves as equals and an integral part of the struggle, calling for improved sanitation and dignified treatment. Ultimately, when the bosses win a court order against the workers preventing them from demonstrating gender roles reverse with the wives taking over the picket line and preventing scab workers from being brought in while the husbands stay at home and take care of house and children.

This film was selected for the National Film Registry in 1992 by the Library of Congress. It became public domain after its copyright was not renewed in 1982.

"Salt of the Earth" was produced, written and directed by victims of the Hollywood blacklist. Unable to make films in Hollywood they looked for worthy social issues to put on screen independently. This film never would have been made in Hollywood at the time, so it is ironic that it was the anti-communist backlash that brought about the conditions for it to be made. In many ways it was a film ahead of its time, mainstream culture did not pick up on its civil rights and feminist themes for at least a decade.

Unfortunately, the source of this copy is not of very good quality, hopefully it can be replaced by a better version.

You can find more information regarding this film on its IMDb page. (this text taken from the Archive page for the film).

Pipe Dream (2001)

...just came across this, as you do and thought I'd post it.

http://www.archive.org/details/PipeDrea2001

The Archive is a wonderful place to browse, and is where I found this computer animation which I really like....

http://www.archive.org

The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library, with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format. Founded in 1996 and located in the Presidio of San Francisco, the Archive has been receiving data donations from Alexa Internet and others. In late 1999, the organization started to grow to include more well-rounded collections. Now the Internet Archive includes texts, audio, moving images, and software as well as archived web pages in our collections.

...elvis has left the building...

17 years old or about then anyway, I'm working in Friern Barnet Psychiatric Hospital. Each morning, I'd have a lovely walk along the North Circular, before going up Colney Hatch Lane and getting in just before 7 am. It was also known as Colney Hatch Asylum.

A strange building, it has now been converted into some expensive apartments. Back then, it stood in its own grounds, big, heavy metal gates at the entrances, yet a 3 foot wall around part of the rest of the place. The hospital was essentially two long corridors, crossing each other (one is said to have been the longest corridor in Great Britain at one time), with a few newer looking buildings tacked on. A victorian institution, where most of the inmates had been kept for at least 30 years or more.

Just a storeman, moving things about on pallets, filling in orders from the wards from tea, coffee, biscuits, fruit, butter and jam. Twice a day, we have the big plastic crates from wards with their orders. A regular routine. Tea made on the hour every hour by Elvis, one of the inmates who works in the stores. There are about 5 or 6 of them usually. It's called therapy, but it was just out of the wards, on their meds and doing simple stuff for them. Most of the time they were on a day patient regime, and the work was part of that I guess. Sometimes, one of the patient workers would fail to show and there'd be a great debate on where they were? After a day or two they either returned, or someone new turned up.

We had 4 staff, as well as the patient workers. Johnny S, who was a small dynamo of a bloke and in charge of the stores. A keen St John's Ambulanceman and cinema organ buff. You know the sort, they rise up out of the floor usually in some old movie, or episode of Columbo with some masked and cloaked figure playing a doom stricken tune. He had worked there for a couple of ages or so, fair and square, no nonesense with a big grin. If you have to have a boss.....

Then there was an older man, who I can't remember the name of though I can picture him clear as daylight in front of me now, with his long buff warehousemans coat, hair and skin a pale grey. The name Harry seems to fit, so you can picture him. He was not long for retirement, and moved at the same slow pace all day, you would almost expect to see him wearing slippers. He had been in the last war, and lost a lung for his troubles. 'They put a plastic bag of ping pong balls in there' he told me "I'm used to it now, mind." He didn't worry, "when it happens it happens", he said.

There was also another storeman, whose name has slipped by me. He had been working there quite a few years, in his mid 30's I think. We didn't get on. I did my job well, and well...he didn't. I ignored him and spent time inbetween orders reading and nattering with the patients.

In some ways, the patients scared me, not being that au fait what schizophrenia was, just seeing someone who would suddenly stand up and proceed to march round the stores talking in turns softly, then screaming out loud. Depression was not on the map, asylums were still more asylums than hospitals. As the place got to be familiar, I soon got used to it. Not everyone there was necessarily mentally ill.

One older patient reckoned he had ended up there by accident. He had nothing wrong with him mentally, bright as a button, sharp as a razor. It was that this was somewhere he had ended up and figured he would end his days there. He had some odd ailment where they couldn't pin it down, so it was easier to shunt him into Friern Barnet. He didn't mind. He was looked after and had the occasional visit from a sister. He told me about the war, being a merchant seaman and travelling all over the shop. Old he may have been, but mad, never. Just another misdiagnosis.

I got thinking of the place today, when a song popped into my head and wouldn't shake off. Dennis Brown "Sitting And Watching" is the title of the tune. I first heard of Dennis Brown with his "Money in my pocket" hit way back in the 70's. After that, it was the occassional song on John Peels show. Most of my reggae came from John Peel, taping his shows and taping the songs I wanted off onto another C90.

The second year I was at Friern Barnet, there was a young african guy who was working in the stores. Another patient who was sent to replace the older ex merchant seaman when he passed on. We used to talk about music, and he lent me a couple of Dennis Brown albums. The one song I always remember is from them is 'Sitting and watching' .

It's been a long time since I heard that song, but today it seemed to be a good day to play it.

have a listen....

...just the music, nothing but the music... ...just listen, though :D

oh, and if you remember Money in my pocket, this is the full 12 inch extended version to enjoy (yes, youtube...spinning record...)

:D

The Visteon Dispute is Not Over!

May 8, 2009 · (text from Visteon Support Group site

Ford Visteon Workers Support Group (Enfield) – Statement for General and Press Release 08/05/2009

Despite forcing Visteon back to the negotiating table and dramatically increasing their offer of redundancy pay, the Ford Visteon workers’ fight for justice is not over. As the Belfast occupation continues, workers in Enfield maintain their 24/7 picket and supporters are gearing up for a sustained campaign:

Their fight has inspired workers and communities across the country and we salute the workers for the victory they have so far won, and we will continue to support their struggle until the workers believe they have received what Ford Visteon owes them.

Redundancy pay – Having fought off Visteon’s disgraceful attempts to rob them of their rights, workers won’t be satisfied until the recent agreement for vastly enhanced redundancy pay are honoured, at the correct rates, with money paid into their bank accounts.

Pensions - The collapse of Visteon UK has put workers’ pensions at risk, potentially leaving them dependent on the taxpayer funded Pension Protection Fund (PPF) to make ends meet. It’s management, on the other hand, siphoned off their pensions to Visteon Engineering Services, an allegedly independent company just before putting Visteon UK into administration. This issue remains to be resolved.

Notes

The Ford Visteon Workers Support Group (Enfield) is a practical support group for the Enfield Visteon workers. FVWSG(E) holds weekly meetings drawing active support from Visteon workers, their families, supporting groups and individuals. The group set up the Visteon workers bank account, has produced some 50,000 leaflets and organised collections across north London and at football matches, and organised many solidarity actions, including rallies and picketing at the Enfield plant, picketing of Ford showrooms and a demonstration at the Visteon administrators, KPMG.

Picket KPMG UK headquarters – Friday 1st May (now gone)

(text from Visteon Support Group site)

Picket KPMG UK headquarters – Friday 1st May
April 29, 2009

3pm-5pm, Friday 1st May
8 Salisbury Square
London
EC4Y 8BB
http://www.kpmg.co.uk/

All Welcome

“KMPG are one of the biggest accountancy companies in the world, offering “creative auditing”, profit laundering and tax avoidance advice to big business. They are currently facing a $1billion lawsuit for malpractices in the US subprime market that contributed to the present economic crisis.

Now they are acting as “administrators” for Ford Visteon motor company – helping to rob sacked employees of their redundancy pay and pensions. This is why we are picketing KPMG”…..[download leaflet]

take that

In traditional Chinese culture, qi (氣 / 气; Pinyin qì, Wade-Giles ch'i Jyutping hei; Korean gi; Japanese ki; Vietnamese khí; pronounced IPA: [tɕʰi˥˩] in Standard Mandarin) is an active principle forming part of any living thing.
It is frequently translated as "energy flow," and is often compared to Western notions of energeia or élan vital (vitalism) as well as the yogic notion of prana. The literal translation is "air," "breath," or "gas" (compare the original meaning of Latin spiritus "breathing"; or the Common Greek πνεῦμα, meaning "air," "breath," or "spirit"; and the Sanskrit term prana, "breath" ).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi

"Breathing is one of the few bodily functions which, within limits, can be controlled both consciously and unconsciously."

".....The most important function of breathing is gas exchange (of oxygen and carbon dioxide). Thus the control of respiration is centered primarily on how well this is achieved by the lungs."

take a breather, we all need one every now and again....


Example of a breather solution for the sine-Gordon equation
The sine-Gordon equation is the nonlinear dispersive partial differential equation

with the field u a function of the spatial coordinate x and time t.
An exact solution found by using the inverse scattering transform is^[2]:

which, for ω <>, is periodic in time t and decays exponentially when moving away from x = 0.
in other words....


take your eyes from the clock turn off the alarm wait to be awakened by the sunlight streaming through the window the squirrels scratching at the window the green flashes as light bounces off the leaves of the tree dazzling outside the window

lighten up the day take a book take an equation take a pen take a moment take your time

is it more easy if you know how or if you know why?