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Showing posts from May, 2011

Dialogue opens between protesters and Soho "gay kiss" pub

Following the delivery of a 1000-signature-strong petition on Tuesday, a meeting took place on Wednesday morning between gay-rights activists and the management of the John Snow Pub in Soho. This is part of the ongoing reaction to the alleged ejection from the pub of a gay couple for kissing, last month. On receiving the open letter accompanied by the 1087 signatures of support gathered online, an unidentified member of staff had agreed on Tuesday night to meet again with the activists the next morning. The meeting took place outside the John Snow between three representatives of the pub and four protestors, one of whom described the occasion as "civil throughout". The protestors were advised that management is not at liberty to comment on the situation due to an ongoing police investigation into the incident. They were also informed that the pub's CCTV tapes have been handed over to the police. The results of the investigation are reportedly expected in two weeks. A new

Petition Delivered to the Soho "Gay Kiss" Pub

A petition gathering over 1000 signatures was delivered today to the Soho pub that found itself at the centre of an international media storm last month. The 57 page petition before it was delivered to the pub (Picture by me). On the evening of Wednesday 13 April 2011, Jonathan Williams, 26, and James Bull, 23, were asked to leave the John Snow public house for kissing while on their first date. A member of staff allegedly described the couple’s behaviour as "obscene" and evicted them from the establishment. Despite several attempts by journalists at contacting the management of the John Snow, as well as the Samuel Smith Old Brewery, which owns the pub, neither the pub nor the brewer released any comment, statement or apology. In an attempt to get the management of the pub to air their side of the story and to create a dialogue, a group of activists who had organised two successful kiss-in events outside the pub decided to write an open letter. The letter demanded that the J

Praha / Prague - Impressions

I have just returned from a week exploring the sunny streets of Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. Much walking was involved and just as much photographing (I shot over 1000 images if I include the duds that weren't worth keeping). A selection of those pictures (a mere 436 of them!) is available on flickr here . It was an interesting experience for me to observe my images evolve as the days went along. On the first couple of days, I found it impossible or quite hard to take original pictures, ie images that were not your bog standard tourist shot and that ultimately present little interest. As the days went on, however, I started to move away from those; starting to notice details and oddities, as if the city came into focus, and I hope that my images gained in interest as a result. I also went to some places on the outskirts of Prague that not many tourist can have visited, such as the eastern terminus of the tram line 22 or a street in what could be a village if it wasn'

Demain, dès l'aube

I don't know much about poetry but there are a few poems I like. this is one of them Demain, dès l'aube, à l'heure où blanchit la campagne, Je partirai. Vois-tu, je sais que tu m'attends. J'irai par la forêt, j'irai par la montagne. Je ne puis demeurer loin de toi plus longtemps. Je marcherai les yeux fixés sur mes pensées, Sans rien voir au dehors, sans entendre aucun bruit, Seul, inconnu, le dos courbé, les mains croisées, Triste, et le jour pour moi sera comme la nuit. Je ne regarderai ni l'or du soir qui tombe, Ni les voiles au loin descendant vers Harfleur, Et quand j'arriverai, je mettrai sur ta tombe Un bouquet de houx vert et de bruyère en fleur. by Victor Hugo, Les Contemplations , 1856