T-Mobile's Next Event - Trafalgar Square - London

In the UK, T Mobile has been showing a series of tv adverts showing a crowd of people dancing in a public space. The advert featuring Liverpool Street station is probably the best known one. Today (April 30) T Mobile filmed a new one in London's Trafalgar Square. As I work nearby I went along to have a look and take a few pictures of the event.

The new advert seems to be featuring the crowd singing well know pop songs. Everyone was in great spirits and seemed to be having a great time. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product on our screens soon. Below are a few picture and s short film of the event.

If you was there please leave me your comments of the experience.

Capital Clean-up Campaign - London

On my way to work I saw the campaign at Trafalgar Square in London. I had no idea what it was or what its aims were, so thanks to the internet I done some research and found out the following:

The aim of the Capital Clean-up Campaign is to create a cleaner London through local action. Londoners are encouraged to get involved in the campaign by making improvements to the local environment, leading to a long term sense of ownership and pride in the area, from which we all benefit. The campaign cuts right across the cleaner, safer, greener agenda providing opportunities for all Londoners to get involved.

The wider objectives of the campaign are:

• To draw on the resources of a wide variety of agencies and voluntary organisations.
• To build on existing local authority services to make additional impact on local environments.
• Link in with wider Government initiatives - Cleaner, Safer, Greener; the Anti-Social Behaviour agenda and the Respect agenda.
• To increase awareness of local environmental quality issues and the impact on quality of life and well being leading to longer term interest and activity in maintaining and improving local environments.

For more information please click on the link below

http://www.capitalstandards.com/cleanup/index.jsp

Sally is not well today - From Sally's World

Hello folks.

Just a short posting to wish Sallyfrom Sally's World (Blog) an speedy recovery as she is not feeling well today.

Get well soon.

Much love

Trojan xXx

President Obama - 1st 100 days in Office

Today I woke to discover that it is President Obama's first 100 days as President. Its seems like a distant memory of when President Bush was in office. How things have changed in just 100 days!

The image of America has been altered dramatically for the better. He has injected a sense of hope and positive energy into his policies. He has spoken about the Muslim world in a positive light and sought to relations with nations that was once considered enemies.

The announcement of the closure of Guantanamo Bay was a positive step towards an improvement of human rights and civil liberties. To admission and banning of torture is an another indication of a move away from the Bush years.

Other milestones acheived are:

Ban on abortion funds lifted
Obama unveils executive pay cap
Stimulus plan signed into law
Obama outlines Iraq pullout plan
Obama ends stem cell funding ban
Iran offered a 'new beginning'
Obama promotes nuclear-free world
Cuba offered 'new beginning'

On a lighter note the introduction of the new First Puppy, Bo. A Portuguese water dog was seen around the world.

Time will tell how successfully he will be, but in the meantime it appears that he is doing a good job. With the current economic climate in recession, the Swine flu and the war on terror President Obama has a lot on his plate. I am sure he will rise to the challenge and has my support.

His recent trip to London for the G20 meeting was a personal highlight for me, I had the opportunity to hear him speak.

The BBC News channel has a great summery of Presidents 1st 100 days in 100 seconds!

Click on the link below to watch it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8023603.stm

Kinnaird House 1 Pall Mall East - London

I pass this building every day on my way to work.This building is situated at the junction of the Haymarket and Pall Mall East in central London and was designed by Arthur Bloomfield. Its a stone throw away from Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery.

Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was then articled as an architect to Philip Charles Hardwick, and subsequently obtained a large practice on his own account. The young Thomas Hardy joined Blomfield's practice as assistant architect in April 1862, and the writer remained friends with Blomfield. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861, and a fellow (1867) and vice-president (1886) of the Royal Institute of British Architects. In 1889, he was knighted.

In 1887 he became architect to the Bank of England, and designed the law courts branch in Fleet Street; he was associated with A. E. Street.Among Blomfield's other works:The Royal College of Music building.St. Saviour's Church, Southwark (now Southwark Cathedral) is a notable example of his use of a revived Gothic style, and he was highly regarded as a restorer.He also designed St. George's Anglican Cathedral in Georgetown, Guyana, which was considered the tallest wooden church in the world until 2003 when the Peri Monastery near Săpânţa in northern Romania was finished.

Wolverine - Exclusive Trailer

As many of you know, I hyped about the forthcoming Wolverine movie which will hit the cinema this weekend. Here is an exclusive trailer of this film.

Enjoy enjoy enjoy!

Should people in the public eye deserve a private life? - Sally's World 60 Second Debate

Last night Sally and I set ouerselves a challenge. We had to discuss a issue within 60 seconds.

The question up for discussion was "Should people in the public eye deserve a private life?"

Sally thought no, while I thought they do. Watch the video and leave your feedback below.

If you don't have an account please choose the Anonymous option.

YouTube says - "Broadcast Yourself" - So we did!

My good friend Sally and I also do video blogs. They have been featured on both our blogs since their inception.

Looking at the blogs I can see how much I my skills have developed in this area and how funny some of the earlier ones are. I tend to say Umm a lot less now and i feel a lot comfortable in speaking to the camera. I also don't cringe when i watch my self on screen. I used to hate it before.

What struck me was the power to reach people from across the world with your message. The feedback Sally's receives on her blog is a true testament of how the power of the video blog (i.e YouTube) can reach a diverse range of people.

We have covered a lot of subject matter, from special need issues, dealing with loss, salsa and Obama.

Everyone has a story to tell, please don't be afraid to tell it as you will be surprised how many people want to hear it.

I decided that it would be an good opportunity to look back at our top five video blogs (based on the number of views) to date.

Please click on the link and sit back to enjoy the view!

Video Blogs Top five:

1. Sally's World Video Blog 6 Remembering someone you lost..
2. Q&A Question Time With Sally Anne Stephenson
3. Sally's World Video Blog 6 Remembering Someone you've lost - Part 2
4. Sally's World Video Blog 5 - Strictly Comes to South London
5. My First Video Blog - Welcome to Sally's World

Please free to leave your comments

Have a great day and tell someone your story.

Tagged 8 Questions - Present, Future, Wish list and TV shows

I got tagged by Sally from Sally's World to provide eight answers to some easy

(I thought was) easy questions:

so here goes...

8 Things I’m Looking Forward To

1. Going back to Spain and take some great photo's
2. Finishing decorating the house
3. Salsa
4. Getting into better shape
5. Getting a new tattoo
6. Getting more involved with the Aaron Stephenson foundation
7. Going on a long haul holiday (Brazil or Mexico please!)
8. Seeing Wolverine and the new Star Trek movie!

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1. Watched Dexter
2. Went to work
3. Went to the gym
4. Posted a blog
5. Spoke to my grandma from the USA
6. Paid my rent!
7. Had lunch with a colleague
8. Leave feedback on my favourite blogs

8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1. Travel round the world taking pictures
2. Run a marathon
3. Win the lottery
4. Not having to work
5. Live overseas
6. Run my own business
7. Dance salsa with Janet Jackson
8. Enable my mum to run her own business

8 Shows I Watch (way too easy!)

1. Dexter
2. Fringe
3. Apprentice (UK version)
4. Lost
5. 24
6. Sarah Conner Chronicles
7. The Wire
8. Heroes

8 People I Tag

1. Erin
2. Gav Fitness
3. Charcoal Ink
4. Clueless in Boston
5. Scottsdale Daily photo
6. Versailles Daily Photo
7. My Structured Chaos
8. My Magic Polaroid

Its surprising how long it took me to do this, as it made me really think!

I'm sure that when i revisit this later some of my answers will have changed.

Completing these questions has helped me focus on what I do and what I want to do in the future.

The wish list section was good fun and the TV show section was way too easy. I am a TV junkie so the shows I watch just flowed out.

Those people who I have tagged, your blogs are simply fantastic and I would love to learn a little more about what moves you and what you aspire for the future. I hope those who read this will learn a little something about me as well.

Independent Lens "HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" | PBS

Refreshing and enlightening conversation with filmmaker and activist Byron Hurt on his renowned documentary on male identity in hip hop "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes". The film deconstructs hip hop as it relates to African American culture and consciousness, and it illustrates the elements of violence, misogyny and homophobia that are often endemic in this cultural form. This conversation also engages on aspects of modern race relations, culture and the rise of inspiring new models of African American manhood, including Barack Obama.

Filmmaker Byron Hurt, a life-long hip-hop fan, was watching rap music videos on BET when he realized that each video was nearly identical. Guys in fancy cars threw money at the camera while scantily clad women danced in the background. As he discovered how stereotypical rap videos had become, Hurt, a former college quarterback turned activist, decided to make a film about the gender politics of hip-hop, the music and the culture that he grew up with. “The more I grew and the more I learned about sexism and violence and homophobia, the more those lyrics became unacceptable to me,” he says. “And I began to become more conflicted about the music that I loved.” The result is HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, a riveting documentary that tackles issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in today’s hip-hop culture.Sparking dialogue on hip-hop and its declarations on gender, HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes provides thoughtful insight from intelligent, divergent voices including rap artists, industry executives, rap fans and social critics from inside and outside the hip-hop generation. The film includes interviews with famous rappers such as Mos Def, Fat Joe, Chuck D and Jadakiss and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons; along with commentary from Michael Eric Dyson, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Kevin Powell and Sarah Jones and interviews with young women at Spelman College, a historically black school and one of the nation’s leading liberal arts institutions. The film also explores such pressing issues as women and violence in rap music, representations of manhood in hip-hop culture, what today’s rap lyrics reveal to their listeners and homoeroticism in hip-hop. A “loving critique” from a self-proclaimed “hip-hop head,” HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes discloses the complex intersection of culture, commerce and gender through on-the-street interviews with aspiring rappers and fans at hip-hop events throughout the country.

The video above is approximently 3o minutes long but well worth watching. Watch it and let me know your thoughts... enjoy your weekend and I'll be back tomorrow with another post.

For more on this issue please click here for more details

St George's Cross & Union Flag

The Flag of England is the St George's Cross. The red cross appeared as an emblem of England during the Middle Ages and the Crusades and is one of the earliest known emblems representing England. It achieved status as the national flag of England during the sixteenth century. Saint George became the patron saint of England in the thirteenth century, and the legend of Saint George slaying a dragon dates from the twelfth century.

The exact origins of the Flag of England are unclear and there are multiple supporting theories, though it is known that the flag appeared during the Middle Ages. It has been recorded that the first known recorded use of the St George's Cross as an emblem (but not as a flag) of England was in a roll of account relating to the Welsh War of 1275. The use of a red cross on a white background was a symbol of St. George in the Middle Ages. This is seen, for example, in the flag of Georgia, another country with Saint George as their patron saint.

The first theory states that the flag was adopted during the Crusades. At the beginning of the Crusades, a red cross on white was already associated with England. Although the Pope decided English crusaders would be distinguished by wearing a white cross on red, and French crusaders a red cross on white (Italian knights were allocated a yellow cross on a white background), English knights soon decided to claim "their" cross of red on white, like the French. In January 1188, in a meeting between Henry II of England and Philip II of France, the two rivals agreed to exchange flags (France later changed its new white cross on red for a white cross on a dark blue flag). Some French knights carried on using the red cross however, and as English knights wore this pattern as well, the red cross on white became the typical crusader symbol regardless of nationality.

A second theory states that St. George's cross was originally the flag of Genoa and was adopted by England and the City of London in 1190 for their ships entering the Mediterranean to benefit from the protection of the powerful Genoese fleet. The maritime Republic of Genoa was rising and going to become, with its rival Venice, one of the most important powers in the world. The English Monarch paid an annual tribute to the Doge of Genoa for this privilege.

The St George's cross may not have achieved the full status of national flag until the sixteenth century, when all other saints' banners were abandoned during the Reformation. Thereafter it became recognised as the flag of England and Wales. The earliest record of the St George's Cross at sea, as an English flag in conjunction with royal banners but no other saintly flags, was 1545.

The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.]Historically, the flag was used throughout the former British Empire. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms, e.g. in Canada, where it is known as the Royal Union Flag. The current design dates from the Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801.

St Georges Day - Patron Saint of England

St George is still venerated in a large number of places, by followers of particular occupations and sufferers from certain diseases.
George, born in Cappadocia (modern day Turkey) of a Turkish father and a Palestinian mother. George is the patron saint of Aragon, Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany and Greece; and of Moscow, Istanbul, Genoa and Venice (second to St Mark).

He is patron of soldiers, cavalry and chivalry; of farmers and field workers, Boy Scouts and butchers; of horses, riders and saddlers; and of sufferers from leprosy, plague and syphilis.

The True Dragon by Brian Patten

St George was out walking
He met a dragon on a hill,
It was wise and wonderful
Too glorious to kill

It slept amongst the wild thyme
Where the oxlips and violets grow
Its skin was a luminous fire
That made the English landscape glow

Its tears were England’s crystal rivers
Its breath the mist on England’s moors
Its larder was England’s orchards
, Its house was without doors

St George was in awe of it
It was a thing apart
He hid the sleeping dragon
Inside every English heart

So on this day let’s celebrate
England’s valleys full of light,
The green fire of the landscape
Lakes shivering with delight

Let’s celebrate St George’s Day,
The dragon in repose;
The brilliant lark ascending,
The yew, the oak, the rose.

Earth Day - 22 April 2009

Earth Day, celebrated in the US on April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year. This date is Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.The United Nations celebrates an Earth Day each year on the March equinox, which is often March 20, a tradition which was founded by peace activist John McConnell in 1969.

Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes a short documentary

Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes provides a riveting examination of manhood, sexism, and homophobia in hip-hop culture. Director Byron Hurt, former star college quarterback, longtime hip-hop fan, and gender violence prevention educator, conceived the documentary as a "loving critique" of a number of disturbing trends in the world of rap music. He pays tribute to hip-hop while challenging the rap music industry to take responsibility for glamorizing destructive, deeply conservative stereotypes of manhood. The documentary features revealing interviews about masculinity and sexism with rappers such as Mos Def, Fat Joe, Chuck D, Jadakiss, and Busta Rhymes, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, and cultural commentators such as Michael Eric Dyson and Beverly Guy-Shetfall. Critically acclaimed for its fearless engagement with issues of race, gender violence, and the corporate exploitation of youth culture.

This an interesting look at black male identity in the United States. It's has some controversial viewpoints that you may or may not agree with. This short documentary poses some difficult questions effecting the black and the wider community both in the USA and in the U.K. The entertainment industry whether it is music, film or print does have an impact on how people view themselves and one another. We should be challenging these perceptions and stereotypes more strongly and be cautious of how we all contribute to this negative mindset. Please share your thoughts as I would love to hear them.

For more on this issue please click here for more details

Space the Final Frontier - The Day I Saw a Space Ship

Space the final frontier, that is the opening sentence to Star trek movies and TV series. The new movie had its premiere last night in London’s Leicester Square which prompted my idea of today’s post.

During my visit to Orlando, Florida in 2007, I was lucky enough to watch the space shuttle launch at the Kennedy Space Centre. Now I love Science fiction and the thought of actually seeing the space shuttle take off and head off to space was an opportunity I couldn't miss.


Now the pictures below I admit are not my best, but you can see the large number of people who turned up to see the launch. You also see shots of the launch as the shuttle heads into space towards the international space station. Although the luanch was over in a matter of minutes ( and took us over an hour to get there) I thought it was worth the trip.

If you are ever in Orlando and there is a schedule launch, drive up and watch it live. The excitement felt in the crowd, the roar of the engines as it heads into the atmosphere and the wonder of seeing something quite remarkable is worth the the hour drive it takes.

All pictures taken by Trojan Gayle

A fork in the road - A poem by Robert Frost

I took this picture while walking in Spanish countryside last year. I like the idea of the fork in the road metaphor.

Which path would you take and could your choice effect what happens in your life there after? I guess everyday we make those type of choices, but we don't generally see them quite like this picture.


A fork in the road is a metaphor, based on a literal expression, for a deciding moment in life or history when a major choice of options is required.

Below is a poem by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Trafalgar Square, London, England

Trafalgar Square is a square in central London, England. I pass it every day on my way to work With its position in the heart of London, it is a tourist attraction; at its centre is Nelson's Column which stands guarded by four lion statues at its base.

Statues and sculptures are on display in the square, including a fourth plinth displaying changing pieces of contemporary art, and it is a site of political demonstrations.The name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars.

The original name was to have been "King William the Fourth's Square", but George Ledwell Taylor suggested the name "Trafalgar Square".The northern area of the square had been the site of the King's Mews since the time of Edward I, while the southern end was the original Charing Cross, where the Strand from the City met Whitehall, coming north from Westminster.

As the midpoint between these twin cities, Charing Cross is to this day considered the heart of London, from which all distances are measured.In the 1820s the Prince Regent engaged the landscape architect John Nash to redevelop the area. Nash cleared the square as part of his Charing Cross Improvement Scheme. The present architecture of the square is due to Sir Charles Barry and was completed in 1845.

All pictures taken by Trojan Gayle

Admiralty Arch- London

Admiralty Arch is a large office building in London which incorporates an archway providing road and pedestrian access between The Mall, which extends to the southwest, and Trafalgar Squareto the northeast. It was designed by Sir Aston Webb, constructed by John Mowlem & Co and completed in 1912. It adjoins the Old Admiralty Building, hence the name.The building was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria, although he did not live to see its completion.

A Latin inscription along the top reads:

: ANNO : DECIMO : EDWARDI : SEPTIMI : REGIS : VICTORIÆ : REGINÆ : CIVES : GRATISSIMI : MDCCCCX :

(In the tenth year of King Edward VII, to Queen Victoria, from most grateful citizens, 1910)

A famous feature of Admiralty Arch is its "nose". On the inside wall of the northernmost arch there is a small protrusion the size and shape of a human nose. There is little or no public information as to why it is there. The nose is at a height of about seven feet, and sits at waist high for anyone riding through the arch on a horse. Tradition holds that the nose is there in honour of the Duke of Wellington, who was known for having a particularly large nose. Royal soldiers would rub Wellington's nose for good luck as they rode through the arch.

Admiralty Arch is a Grade I listed building. In 2000, the Cabinet Office moved into offices in the building, while maintaining its headquarters on Whitehall. It is also home to the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit and the Social Exclusion Task Force.

La Alhambra - Granada - Spain

"On a hill overlooking Granada, the Alhambra—a sprawling palace-citadel that comprised royal residential quarters, court complexes flanked by official chambers, a bath, and a mosque—was begun in the thirteenth century by Ibn al-Ahmar, founder of the Nasrid dynasty, and was continued by his successors in the fourteenth century. Its most celebrated portions—a series of courtyards surrounded by rooms—present a varied repetoire of Moorish arched, columnar, and domical forms. The romantic imagination of centuries of visitors has been captivated by the special combination of the slender columnar arcades, fountains, and light-reflecting water basins found in those courtyards—the Lion Court in particular; this combination is understood from inscriptions to be a physical realization of descriptions of Paradise in Islamic poetry."

— Marvin Trachtenberg and Isabelle Hyman. Architecture: from Prehistory to Post-Modernism.

All pictures taken by Trojan Gayle

Whitehorse Meadow - South Norwood - London

On the bottom of my road is a meadow. The area was cultivated as allotments for many years, when contaminants were found in the soil, the allotments closed and area laid out to a wildflower meadow. Its a beautiful space in the middle of a city, where wild flowers are allowed to grow.

On Easter Monday, along with my mum we took a walk down there to get a little closer to nature and for me to take a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.

All pictures taken by Trojan Gayle