ACOMSDave

Community Journalist

Archives for November 2016

Gisela Meyer at the NPL Musical Society

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Gisela Meyer plays pieces of the night

NPL Musical Society

On Friday the 18th November, I was invited to a lunch time concert in the National Physic Laboratory Science Museum to be given by Gisela Meyer, the concert had as its theme ‘Night Pieces’ and consisted of pieces by four composers/artists:

  • John Field (1782-1837)
    • Nocturne in Bb major – Cantible
    • Nocturne in A major – Poco Adagio
  • Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
    • Notturno – Lento
  • Romeo Wecks (1994)
    • Nachstuck I
    • Nachstuck II
    • Nachstuck III
  • Marice Ravel (1898-1937)
    • Gaspard de la nuit
      • ON
      • Ondine
      • Le gibet
      • Scarbo

As mentioned the concert is held in the NPL in the Scientific Museum, which is a former hunting lodge and one time home of William, Duke of Clarence (later King William IV) with views across Bushy Park.

The setting is spectacular, but like all government buildings is in need to some TLC (Tender Loving Care).  I was advised that the maintenance contract is coming up for renewal, which may explain why it appears so tired and dilapidated. From looking around the outside territory of the building and the building sitting behind it to the right, it would not surprise me if it was to end up as development territory into very well appointed apartments easily within the million pound bracket or more because of the location and proximity to London!

Now returning to the concert and Ms Meyer; I think everyone enjoyed the range of items performed, though for me the highlight was Gaspard de la nuit by Ravel.  I have attempted to find a video of Ms Meyer playing, but nothing turned up during my searches, so here instead you have pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet playing:

 

Ms Meyer was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany where she undertook her  undergraduate studies (Piano with side subject Cello)  and her postgraduate diploma (Piano solo) in Weimar, Gisela obtained a MMus in Accompaniment at the Guildhall School for Music and Drama.

The four pieces are different but similar in that they in the main allowed you to drift away slowly loosing yourself in the music, and does Ms Meyer who is wonderfully accomplished, but almost seems dwarfed by the grand piano, which she plays with total command.

If you are interested in classical music, and have the time, and are in Teddington then I would definitely recommend getting in touch with  the NPL Musical Society organisers by contacting Frances Wilson on info@franceswilson.co.uk

British Comics At The Cartoon Museum, London

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British Comics For Boys (and girls)
Rover Comic FrontsheetThis Cartoon Museum (British cartoon & comic art from the 18th century to the present day), has the potential to be a great resource, not just for cartoons, but for British comics of this era, and importantly as a resource to show our history.
Unfortunately the museum is hidden away in a back street, in rented premises, and it receives no financial support from government both national or local.
The exhibition at the time of my visit in November 2016, was on that great British institution ‘Punch’. Unfortunately I would guess due to staffing limitations, the exhibition has not been noted, other than a banner on the Homepage on their website at the time of writing this article. punch-banner-for-websiteTo do the showing justice you would have need to spend a few hours, both at looking at the drawings and also in attempting to reflect back on the history at that time.
Also there was little at the time I visited that you might want to buy to remember the Punch exhibition.
I am of an era when my weekly stable of comics were the Rover & Wizard, The victor, The Hornet, The Hotspur – not for me the American Marvel(s), I preferred homegrown characters like:
Wilson the Wonder Athlete
Wolf of Kabul
Alf Tupper – The Rough of the track
I Flew with Braddock

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And for me the thing I really loved, was that in general the Rover &Wizard was mainly words, with just one introductory picture (or at least that is how I remember it).
So of course I asked if they had any of these comics in museum’s collection, and unfortunately was told no. Though they are a museum dedicated to British cartoons and comics, they have not been in a position to obtain any for their collection.
OK I can accept that getting items like these may be difficult, but at the very least you would have thought they would have links to suitable websites to spark interest and show that the museum cared. Instead all I have found is one short paragraph mention of these comics (The British Comic: 1884 –)
The Cartoon Museum is located at 35 Little Russell Street, London WC1 2HH
Always check to see if they are open, usually Tue-Sun, by ringing on 020 7580 8155

 

Further reading:

Surveillance without request on Tubes

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surveillance on the tubes tube surveillance

Obviously we would all like the transport systems to work more efficiently, be safer, cleaner and cheaper, however if TfL required this information on passenger travel, why was it necessary to be secretive about it, and initiate a surveillance by stealth of its passengers?

This is just another example of an organisation following the government’s lead with regard to our privacy and rights, and riding roughshod over them.

Explaining that all data will be anonymous is not good enough, they should have said something long before their planned exploitation, and not withstanding their protestations, this will not be a one off, and I do not trust them to make the data anonymous if pressurised by government in the light of necessity to fight terrorism or some such other reason (that’s if they even bother to give a reason).  Dave McFarlane, Community Journalist

If you used the tube this morning, it’s highly likely that TfL used your Wi-Fi connection to find out information about your journey. The data collection initia

Source: TfL is tracking tube passengers through their phones

Have you any Gay Images From Northern Ireland

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Gay History

northern gay and block mounted paisley ayatollah


 
Northern Ireland’s gay history is slowly coming to light in our national institutions.  Recently we spotted the Northern Gay and block mounted Paisley ayatollah  on display at the Ulster Museum.
This is only part of some of our history, but the museums and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) have more, and indeed are always looking for more material to add to their archives and develop their ability to reflect everyone’s history and in particular those of the minority groups which are often under represented.
A quick search on the PRONI websites brought up 15 distinct areas:

  • Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Advocate
  • Sexuality
    …If you think you’re gay or a lesbian, you may be worried about how people will react if you tell them…
  • Sexual orientation discrimination

…It’s against the law for an employer to discriminate against you because of your sexual orientation. You’re also protected against harassment or bullying at work…

  • Information and support for people with HIV and AIDS

…There are support services, information and advice available across Northern Ireland for people newly diagnosed or living with HIV…

  • Support services for victims
    …If you have been a victim of crime or abuse in Northern Ireland, there are organisation and groups who can give you free advice, support and practical help to help you deal with the impact of…
  • QueerSpace
  • Hate crime
    …Hate crime is a crime against a person usually because of their race, religious belief, sexual orientation, political opinion, gender identity or disability. Hate crime can take many forms…
  • Pushing the boundaries: Society & law
    …A Series of talks exploring society and the law which consider broad areas relating to the changing perception of what constitutes acceptable behaviour within society…
  • Rainbow Project
  • Human rights in the workplace

…Your human rights are protected by the law. If your employer is a public authority, they must follow the principles of the Human Rights Act…

  • Equal State Pension rights for transsexual people
    …Transsexual people can apply for equal treatment rights for social security purposes. This could mean getting the State Pension paid early, or having some National Insurance contributions…
  • Easter Rising: ‘Irish volunteers centenary project’

…PRONI was pleased to host ‘Irish Volunteers Centenary Project’, a talk by Donal McAnallen about experiences in the Easter Rising…

  • Talking to your child about sex and teenage pregnancy
    …Young people who can talk about sex with their parents tend to delay having sex and are more likely to use contraception when they do. However, you may find the idea slightly awkward, or you…
  • Religion or belief discrimination

…It is against the law for an employer to discriminate against you because of your religion or certain beliefs. Find out about your rights and what you can do if you’re worried about religion…

An important thing for all of us in the LGBT community of Northern Ireland is our history, but unfortunately a lot of it has been forgotten, or not written down, or in some cases is still hidden away in individuals homes.  We would like to develop further our access to our history, by asking everyone to dig our their history and by contacting us we will work with the museums and PRONI to develop a central resource.

Please do contact us with details of what you have and we will then arrange with the correct repository.  All information will remain confidential regarding your personal details, unless yu expressly give us permission to disclose them when lodging the items on your behalf.

Further reading:

 

Cyber Secure – Are You Secure?

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no-hiding-place johnny-briggs nohidingplacetvtimes__

Security was just as much a problem  in the 50s and 60s and back in 1959 a Rediffusion television ‘No Hiding Place’ came into being and was immediately successful.  No Hiding Place was one of television’s most successful series, and a tremendous amount of hard work and research went into it.  Today we have numerous television programmes which cover every aspect of the police genre, but what does stand out it those that work, are those that are well researched, appear real and care for the both the characters and the story.

So why am I now writing about ‘No Hiding Place’ in relation to cyber security – well, in a convoluted way cyber crime now means we have ‘hiding place’ from those who wish to either control us to those who wish to steal from us.

I urgently ask that everyone read the following article, if you don’t understand it, then ask someone who does and who can explain it to you.  Look after your security, because the currently government int e UK isn’t and won’t

cyber security - keep it safe

Struggling white working-class pupils

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Education seems to have forgotten a proportion of its population – namely working class boys and girls! Whether we like to admit it or not, one size does not fit all when it comes to education, and boys are a completely different fit to girls, they need different stimuli and different provisions. This does not mean that we need segregated schools before certain elements of the population starts, but it does mean that we need to be inclusive of boys needs which we are not currently in the educational strata. Books need to cater for boys, not just girls. Boys also need more room to run about and get rid of energy, and also classes need to reflect this. It will be interesting to see if government, the educational establishment, and to a large degree teachers can make the changes needed.  We continue to talk about league tables, revamping education etc, but we seem to have difficulty in having a long term strategy, to allow it to develop with tinkering (government and inspectors) and to also allow teachers room and time to implement strategy without complaining even before it has had time for the ink to dry! Dave McFarlane, Community Journalist

Study finds poorer white children’s attainment has stayed stubbornly low despite improvements among other groups

Source: Schools must focus on struggling white working-class pupils, says UK charity

Church Oppression of Minorities! When does it Stop?

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The ‘Church’ professes to be accepting of all, but it is becoming obvious that this is normally paid lip service to rather than in reality.  Being narrow minded is almost a perquisite for being conservative these days, and with Marcelo Crivella, as the mayor of Rio de Janeiro it may well be that that wonderful place for fun and frolics is slowly going to die, and obviously if the fun stops so will the money coming into the country from visitors.  Surprisngly enough, this has occurred occur in other locations eg. the states of South Dakota, Georgia,Michigan, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississipi in the USA.
The Revel & Riot website’s article on LGBTQ PEOPLE AND RELIGION, states that…

Worldwide, fundamentalists of every major religion promote discrimination, hatred and often violence towards LGBTQ people. Because of religion, families are torn apart when misguided teachings conflict with the biologically determined sexual orientation and/or gender identity of a child or parent. Countless LGBTQ people are raised in religious families and experience a great deal of internal conflict and pain as they try to reconcile their own learned beliefs with the reality of who they are.

Religion is supposed to be a refuge from oppression, not to implement it or to condone it because some tennet written by a person in the past said that that kind of person was bad, or evil, or indeed sub-human – wasn’t that what occurred in relation to slaves (and does still today in some countries)!
I would be the first to fight and stand up for everyone to have the right to voice their opinion, but I will not stand by and allow any minority to be oppressed because they don’t fit into the perscribed norm!
Further reading:

Church and State Sin city elects a preacher as mayor

Source: A Pentecostal’s progress | The Economist

Tory peer in Lords attempt to secure Northern Ireland gay pardons – Belfast Newsletter

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Jeff-Dudgeon-MBE-gay pardons legislation

Jeff Dudgeon’s MBE comments re challenges to gay pardons legislation


A response from Jeff Dudgeon, in respect of the claim that Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 makes this problematic.
‘This, in my view, is an absolute  ridiculous argument. I wrote the amendments in such a way that they do not relate to the “sexual orientation” of a person convicted or cautioned. Both the pardons and the disregard scheme will be available to any “person” who has been convicted or cautioned. In respect of the main offences involved, that means: any person who has been convicted or cautioned for the offence of buggery (involving either opposite-sex or same-sex sexual acts); any person convicted or cautioned for the offence of gross indecency (this can only be same-sex acts because the offence only related to men). The term “gay pardons” is therefore misleading because the pardons will extend to any “person” (man or woman) falling within the ambit of the old law. There is no “discrimination” here!’
As you can see this proposed amendment is ‘fair to all’, and we believe that it should be passed…

The Lords and Gay Pardons LegisltionAn attempt to pardon men convicted in Northern Ireland before homosexuality was decriminalised has been launched in the House of Lords – but a QC has said that the proposal could be unlawful under equality law.

Source: Tory peer in Lords attempt to secure Northern Ireland gay pardons – Belfast Newsletter

International Men’s Day – 19th November 2016

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International Men's Day

Men and Boys

It is international men’s day on November 19th, and I know there are a number of you who say why! Well the statistics do speak for themselves, but I quote from The History Learning site

…’Boys are getting better in the education system as time goes on; yet they are progressing at a much slower rate than girls. Working Class boys do particularly bad in the education system and this is situation is becoming increasingly worse.  This could be because working class boys want to get out of school and dig into “Mans Work.” However, there has been a significant decline in manual labour jobs that require hardly any or no formal grades as machines have replaced the jobs normally associated with men. This has led to a worrying unemployment rate for the unskilled in developed nations.’…

International Men's Day

men and boys are getting lost

The BCMJ in 2011 said ‘Suicide in men has been described as a “silent epidemic”: epidemic because of its high incidence and substantial contribution to men’s mortality, and silent be­cause of a lack of public awareness, a paucity of explanatory research, and the reluctance of men to seek help for suicide-related concerns. A statistical overview demonstrates a shockingly high rate of death by suicide for men compared with women, and a need to focus attention on prevention, screening, treatment, and service delivery.

Stop Male Suicide

Objectives of International Men’s Day include a focus on men’s and boy’s health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models. It is an occasion for men to celebrate their achievements and contributions, in particular their contributions to community, family, marriage, and child care while highlighting the discrimination against them.

The theme for 2016 is Stop Male Suicide. In every country bar China where it is approximately equal the suicide rate is worse for men than women and averaged out on a country by country basis the rate of suicide for men is up to three timesthat of women. In Russia it is 6 men for every 1 women. Men’s health is worse than women’s in every part of the world. Recent World Health Organization (WHO) data shows that, globally, male life expectancy at birth in 2015 was 69 years; for females, it was 74 years. Children suffer when they lose a father or a grandfather prematurely. So let’s work together to turn the tide of male ill-health & suicide.

The deplorable state of men’s health internationally is obviously a contributing factor to the epidemic of Male Suicide across the world. This year Glen Poole the IMD coordinator for the UK has written a book called “Stop Male Suicide.” His solution can be summed up in the words LEARN +LOVE+LISTEN. Let’s use that as the motto for this year’s International Mens Day and lets all help stop male suicide. If we each applied this saying every day the world would become a better place.

The November IMD is a significant date as it interfaces the popular ‘Movember‘ charity event and also with Universal Children’s Day on Nov 20 with which IMD forms a 48 hour celebration of men and children respectively, and of the special relationships they share.

imd-web-poster-wrestle-v2bThe ability to sacrifice your needs on behalf of others is fundamental to manhood, as is honour. Manhood rites of passage the world over recognise the importance of sacrifice in the development of Manhood.

Men make sacrifices everyday in their place of work, in their role as husbands and fathers, for their families, for their friends, for their communities and for their nation. International Men’s Day is an opportunity for people everywhere of goodwill to appreciate and celebrate the men in their lives and the contribution they make to society for the greater good of all.

Methods of commemorating International Men’s Day have included public seminars, conferences, festivals and fundraisers, classroom activities at schools, radio and television programs, Church observances, and peaceful displays and marches. The manner of observing this annual day is optional; any organizations are welcome to host their own events and any appropriate forums can be used.

IMD_2013

International Men’s Day is celebrated in over 60 countries of the world. Too many to list. Join us on November 19 in celebrating the contribution men and boys make to those around them, to their family and friends, their work place and the community, the nations and the world.

 

 

 

Institutions and their cost to government and the country!

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InstitutionsWhy is it that public institutions seem to be able to waste money by defending cases for years and preventing them going to court until the last minute?  Isn’t it time we had a yearly review of every case which is currently with, or has been settled for these institutions like for example the various police forces and NHS Trusts, we need to understand how much money has been used to defend these cases both in terms of legal costs and also in terms of staff time, and in the final analysis also for any settlement costs.

This yearly review needs to have public scrutiny and only then will we have a proper understanding and make those responsible accountable.  This is not just a private select committee responsibility, or the Privy Council, it is a direct requirement for the Chancellor to report on annually as part of his budget, and for a proper report detailing all facts and figures.

Dave McFarlane, Community Journalist

 

government institutions

Metropolitan Police apologise over gay abuse investigation – BBC News

A gay man wins a legal battle with the Met Police over its failure to investigate alleged homophobic abuse.

Source: Metropolitan Police apologise over gay abuse investigation – BBC News