Summer, 2060 June 22, 2009
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Green in the City , 1 comment so farWhen I was a child, in Auckland, my grandmother had a passionfruit vine climbing the rails beside the steps to her front door. I remember sultry summer evenings, cat’s melting in the humidity, hibiscus and the song of cicadas. I love that balmy sub-tropical weather. The low 30s (Celsius) are the way summers ought to be.
Looking at the new projections for London’s climate later this century, it really doesn’t sound too bad. If I get to spend my old age in the climate of my childhood, while staying here in London, I’ll be quite happy. It sounds like the sea may even be a lot closer (or at least the Thames rather wider).
And perhaps this is why its so hard to get anyone to understand the urgency of the situation we face. If London is like Auckland, that’s not so bad, even if the tube floods, and the capital decamps to Leeds (the suggestion that the industrial revolution was a Yorkist plot is one of the more bizarre, and best, I’ve heard lately. It’s worth spreading:-) )
But if our summer temperatures rise by 4-5 degrees, people in the South will be dying in their millions. There will be no more ice, and the sea level will rise inexorably. Those who can least cope will be most effected. Having done so little to reduce the risk of global warming, our government seems to have quietly moved to an ‘adapt’ strategy. That may be realistic, but is there really no way to motivate people to cut down their energy use and address the problem that’s staring us in the face?
What will it take to make us realise the ferocious urgency of today?
Ibsen’s The Doll’s House June 8, 2009
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Reviews , add a commentThis isn’t a review, just a few notes. Isn’t that what blogging is supposed tobe?
I was rapt to get tickets to the Donmar’s production of Ibsen’s The Dolls House. With Gillian Anderson starring, its been a sellout for weeks. The view was much better than expected from right up the top, by the side (C44). A bargain at £15, even if I saw Christopher Ecclestone’s back a lot more than his face.
So much of this rings true now, and even the final scene, when Nora leaves her husband (sorry for spoiler, but it is a classic) still packs a tremendous punch. What must it have been like in the late 19th century? Even by today’s standards, Nora is a strong, determined character, and how many of us hang on with arrogant men who think they have property rights?
What’s Christine doing taking back her long-rejected lover, even though he’s a scoundrel and a loser? Compassion for a drowning man? Undoing a deeply regretted decision? Or still just surviving?
This is a very unusual play. I can’t remember the last time I saw a woman in the theatre leave her husband, not for another man, but for herself. Women do it all the time, but its not a story often told. How far have we come in 100 years?
Certainly the theme of debt as a destroyer of homes and peace of mind is a very current one, as is the political intrigue. And secrets, secrets are poison.
Gillian Anderson is well worth the sellout – she’s excellent. And stunningly beautiful. Its a star-studded cast, with Toby Stephens as Thomas, the husband.
They’ve set it in 1909 in London, rather than 1870s Norway, and its a new translation. I’ve not seen it before, so no comparison. It works well in that setting.
Well worth seeing if you get the chance. It plays at the Donmar until 18 July, and there are day seats and standing tickets available.
Okay, I’m just paranoid June 4, 2009
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Miscellany , add a commentBlimey! I had a reply from Transport for London about their threats to send photos of anyone using their help points to the police. It turns out that they were just trying to stop people pushing the buttons and shouting. Fair enough I guess, especially when some regulation probably stops station staff just giving the little gobshites an earful.
From Transport For London:
King’s Cross station has been suffering from the misuse of the Help Points in operation there, with abusive shouting down the line getting to be a regular event. I’ve spoken with the station supervisor there who confirmed that officers from British Transport Police will attend and try to apprehend offenders, but unfortunately not always in time. As the Help Points are covered by CCTV, occasional warnings are made specifically directed at culprits caught on camera, that footage will be passed on to the police.
I’m sorry if it was not made clear to whom the announcements were directed and if this caused you any concern. I can only apologise and confirm that these announcements are directed at individuals rather than the public at large, and that CCTV footage is only passed on to the police when an offence has been committed.
Polygon Rd Outdoor Gym June 2, 2009
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Camden,Green in the City , 3 commentsA mysterious outcrop has appeared in Polygon Road Open Space in the middle of Somers Town. It started a couple of weeks ago with a fence, then a circle appeared in the ground. Mysterious aliens? By Wednesday morning, a dozen strange machines wrapped in plastic had grown out of the circle, and it seems we are acquiring an Outdoor Gym.
A playground for (more-or-less) grown-ups, it might even encourage me away from my computer and into some exercise. Unlike ordinary gyms, where I tend to sign up for a year and go twice, it’s free. I suspect that an initiative like this could do more to improve local health than all the high-tech medical research labs ever proposed.
I’m going to ask the council if they have any plans to organise around it, as I don’t remember seeing a ‘consultation’ on the subject. Perhaps a scheme to train people to be personal trainers, or to run exercise classes? Or maybe a grassroots initiative would be a better idea. Are there any other forty-something ladies out there who fancy setting up our own Saturday morning gym session?
Judging by the children playing on the, as yet still wrapped, equipment yesterday, it will be popular. The council need to finish it off quickly, or local people will do it for them.
I’m not really paranoid, honest June 1, 2009
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Camden,Politics , 1 comment so farWalking through Kings Cross tube station yesterday, I heard the announcer say that anyone using the ‘help point’ would have their photo taken and passed to the British Transport Police.
So, if I’m a tourist, a bit lost, and press the button marked ‘Information’ to ask where to go, my photo is sent to the police??? I wonder what happens next? A posse of armed goons appear and shoot me for having the audacity to hope that the Victoria Line is actually working this weekend? More likely, my mugshot just ends up on some database somewhere, as the government attempts to track every citizen’s every move, swamping itself so utterly in spurious data that the real criminals slip underneath the chaos.
Certainly, this threatening announcement is hardly going to encourage anyone to use the facility. If there’s an emergency, it may even deter someone from raising the alarm.
There is no indication on the help point itself that this will happen, which is surely not legal.
I wonder what they do with it, and how long they keep it. It will be interesting to see if, and how, Transport for London, answer that question.
