February 2012
1 post
9 tags
Khader Adnan - Death or Freedom, Death for Freedom
Khader Adnan will die, soon. In doing so he will be liberated from his oppressors and inspire all of us. He is heroically embarking on his sixty-third day of hunger strike. The idea of going without food for sixty-three hours is a testing one, sixty-three days is incomprehensible. Khader Adnan’s steely resolve is unbreakable, death or freedom, death for freedom.
The Israeli army arrested Khader...
January 2012
4 posts
7 tags
The Armenian Genocide and Turkish denial
It is a sad fact that the Armenian Genocide and the ongoing fight for genocide recognition is a crucial part of modern Armenian identity. For nearly a century, successive Turkish governments have followed a policy of fierce denial; the genocide never happened. Mindful of their important strategic relationship with Turkey, Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States still fail to officially...
5 tags
Police brutality and racism - an example
I mentor excluded, marginalised, vulnerable teenagers in North London. I work for an organisation that enables them to achieve educational qualifications and provides pastoral care and support.
These teenagers encounter obstacle after obstacle in their development; abuse, neglect, poverty and systems that appear destined to fail them. I’ve worked as a mentor for three years and I have no doubt...
8 tags
Spoiling for war? The assassination of Iranian...
Paul hastily finishes his morning coffee. He kisses his wife on the forehead. He tells his son that he loves him. He leaves his home and he starts his car and he begins his drive to work. Typical London traffic delays his journey.
Assassins on board a motorcycle trail Paul. They wait for the right moment to attach a magnetic explosive to his car and detonate it. The explosive is designed to...
8 tags
Echoes of 1981 - Theresa May at the Reading The...
Wanting to help develop public understanding of the August disorder motivated me to work on the Reading The Riots project. The idea that we may be able to affect future policy was an exciting one. The conference on December the 14th was the pinnacle where we revealed our findings and they were addressed by prominent figures from the police and politics. The response of Theresa May, the Home...
December 2011
4 posts
8 tags
6 tags
Brilliant images from the Congolese Diaspora... →
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Congo 2011 presidential election - a sham that is...
Researching the increasingly tragic history of The Democratic Republic of Congo is a distressing task. The reality is that Africa’s second largest country is one of unbounded potential that has never been allowed to materialise; a consequence of western complicity in the rape of a nation. Despite its wealth of natural resources, the DCR remains bottom of the United Nations poverty index.
The DRC...
8 tags
Reading The Riots - My experience
American Professors Gary Lavigna and Ann Donnellan state that ‘Human behaviour never occurs in a vacuum’.
The August riots were deeply affecting and remarkable because of the sheer scale of which they grew. In the aftermath many were judging the behaviour and subsequently the people who were involved without taking time to consider the causes in any detail.
Admittedly, as the riots escalated...
November 2011
11 posts
5 tags
Henderson - Shogun: The greatest fight ever?
I blogged recently about the growing popularity of mixed martial arts, notably that of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the idea that disillusioned boxing fans are now following the sport.
I would describe myself as a boxing loyalist. There is something special about staying up to a ridiculous hour and watching a big fight from across the Atlantic. Watching sporting history unfold while...
5 tags
T.K - The Problem
I’m a big supporter of the urban music scene in the U.K. It is the music that I’ve grown up with and provides me with inspiration for a lot of my creative work. While a small group of British artists are currently enjoying mainstream success and recognition, grass roots talent is regularly being overlooked. We are consistently producing high calibre lyricists with skills that surpass their...
7 tags
Boxing and UFC face off
In the early hours of Sunday morning, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez clashed for the third time. The results of their first two boxing epics are controversial; a draw and a split decision in Pacquiao’s favour, many feel Marquez was robbed of victory on both occasions.
Pacquiao, arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, was going to blast Marquez away on this occasion. His...
4 tags
A fictitious review of my imagined film adaptation...
( I have created a fictitious film, based on a real novel, in order to avoid plagiarism)
Richard Kelly, director of cult classic Donnie Darko, makes a controversial and powerful return to form with the psychological thriller, Kevin.
The film is based on Lionel Shriver’s 2005 Orange Prize winning novel, We Need To Talk About Kevin.
Franklin ...
6 tags
Scorcher: The indie man who got to the majors
Fresh from his role as Kemale in the brilliant ‘Top Boy’, North London M.C Scorcher unleashed his latest track, ‘Paint The Whole Town Red’, on Sunday. Produced by Kraze, the response to ‘PTWTR’ has been massive, clocking 5000 hits on YouTube already. The lyrical content is an expression of where Scorcher is at as an artist; supremely confident with the flow and reaping the rewards of his...
6 tags
Top Boy: An analysis
‘Top Boy’ concluded on Thursday. The four-part drama centred on the fictitious Summerhouse Estate in Hackney was the most bold and relevant piece of television in years. Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson) are ambitious street dealers whom the younger residents are magnetically drawn towards. Ra’Nell (Malcolm Kamulete) is the schoolboy who remains reluctant to associate with them,...
5 tags
Films I Love: We need to talk about Kevin
We need to talk about Kevin’ is one of my favourite novels; the story of Eva Khatchadourian attempting to come to terms with her son Kevin and the high-school massacre that he has committed. I’d often imagined how this brilliantly dark tale would translate to a medium where the emphasis is visual.
Film adaptations of great novels rely on great direction; Lynne Ramsey has done an incredible job...
September 2011
4 posts
Journalistic Piece: Doing The Right Thing
Last Wednesday morning Tim Smits was travelling on the 488 bus in east London. Three unnamed suspects were harassing other passengers, notably a young mum and a group of elderly women. He questioned their behaviour. Consequently he was spat at and punched in the head before being stabbed in the leg and stomach. He says he has no regrets about stepping in and told the BBC ‘I would do it again in a...
5 tags
Short Story: Sunday League
So I’m done with university. I have my degree.
‘What’s next?’ Everybody asks me.
‘What’s the plan?’
I want to write novels. My old man says I should follow my dream. My mum says I should be more realistic. I’m working in a dive of a pub while I figure stuff out.
Last night was a real killer. The pub was packed to the rafters with Edmonton’s finest. I pulled pint after pint after pint, all for...
My first 'By' line, a feature on life amidst... →
Taylor & Francis Online :: Alleyway - New Writing... →
My ‘Alleyway’ stories are available online now. Check them out!
March 2011
3 posts
3 tags
Short Story: Traffic
I’m fucking late. I’m always fucking late. I stab the key into the ignition of my embarrassingly old car. In retaliation it refuses to start. The starter motor hisses at me disobediently. I try again. Hiss. I try a third time. The engine begrudgingly grumbles into action. I put my car into gear and accelerate recklessly up the road. Disapproving neighbours cut their eyes and shake their heads at...
3 tags
Short Story: Time Travel
I am impatiently waiting in a crowded car park for my brother. It is a grey, wet typically British summer afternoon. Fine raindrops impact against the windows of my Volkswagen. People mill around like sheep. Two tedious hours have slowly passed.
Finally Chris’s lanky frame emerges from the building outside of which I am parked. He is dressed, as always, in an ill fitting t-shirt with an...
3 tags
Short story: Drug Dealing Will (Not) Be Tolerated.
Let me set the scene for you. It’s a beautifully clear, crisp February afternoon. The Mrs and I grab a table outside the Stingray Café, opposite the Guinness Trust building, on Columbia Road. The idea of enjoying a cold beer and some good food in the warm sunshine was irresistible. I relish the super chilled vibes that our surroundings emit.
Without the impressive mass of bourgeois flower fans...