October 2007 Archives

I note regular Independent and Evening Standard columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, is performing at the Watermans Art Centre, in Brentford, this week.

The Ealing Common resident has written Nowhere to Belong: Tales of an Extravagant Stranger, which apparently explores her love of Shakespeare as well as her life before her family’s expulsion from Uganda by Idi Amin in 1972.

In our interview, she talks about the universality of Shakespeare and how the Bard crosses the divide of all nations blah,blah,blah..

Sounds impressive – but not impressive enough.

‘Cos let me tell you Yasmin, when I was 16 (and that was a long time ago), I was also involved in infusing Shakespeare with the whole idea of race and identity, when I belonged to the Greenwich Youth Theatre.

In fact, my infusion was around a rock version of Othello, a black Othello with a white Desdemona, which we took to Czechoslovakia prior to the Velvet revolution. And the directors had the same argument then, how the universality of Shakespeare can touch the lives of those living in the far corners of the world plus the exploration of identitiy...

However, I would respectively suggest it’s time to move on, from what is becoming a bit of cliché - to keep using the works of Shakespeare to highlight modern social issues.

How about the Simpsons?

AS you’re all probably aware, I’m always moaning about our expensive and inefficient public transport system.
And the moans are usually justified, but yesterday as I travelled south on the Jubilee Line I had a big reason to be thankful.
The Tube re-united me with an old friend, a friend who I’ve not seen for nearly 20 years – Sally Peach from Pear Tree Farm, Spalding, Lincolnshire. (True).
Now Sally is quite a distinctive looking lady – very tall, lots of curly hair and big bulging round eyes.
She was a student buddy and we had shared some really fun times, but for one reason or another we had lost contact as we progressed in our lives.
When I plucked up the courage to say to her; ‘You Sally Peach’ she first stared hard at me and then let out a loud hysterical yell and gave me a bone-crushing hug as the other passengers stared in amazement.
Those missing years flashed past as I tried précis in a few minute what I had been doing since those early days and she just said ‘Oh I wished I had dyed my hair now’.
Now Sally is a mother -of -two and teaches at a school in the East End, but we exchanged phone numbers and have vowed to meet up for a drink and catch up properly on those missing years.
Quite remarkable.

IT'S heartening report that the Meadow House Hospice has already had a boost of £2,000 due to the Gazette’s campaign.
Meadow House does amazing work and richly deserves the support of all living in the borough but it is in need of cash to upgrade its facilities.
If you want to get involved next week is the perfect time, 400 swimmers are turning out to raise cash for the Hospice and also Cancer Research.
It’s in memory of Claire Overy, a teacher at he Northolt Phoenix and Kingfisher Disabled Club, who died from ovarian cancer.
Full details in Friday’s Gazette of how you can support this incredibly worthwhile effort.

Legendary Ealing Gazette photographer Stan James has been stopped and quizzed twice within a week by PCSOs under the Terrorism Act because he was carrying a camera.

Stan, who has worked for the Gazette for more than 25 years, was asked for his name, address and age by the police community support officers after he was spotted with his camera.

The first occasion happened in Singapore Road, West Ealing, when the PCSOs demanded to know what he was dong with his camera.

The same thing happened on Thursday when he was out working, and in both cases his press card, a nationally recognised form of identification for journalists and photographers was rejected.

Stan told the Gazette: “I don’t think I believed it straight away. He just asked me why I was carrying a camera, and I didn’t think it was any of his business.
“if I had been behaving furtively or being evasive in any way I could understand it but I wasn’t even taking any photos.
“I expect sometimes to be asked why I am taking pictures at police incidents and I’m more than happy to tell them why and what the pictures are for.�

Ealing Safer neighbourhoods chief Superintendent Ian Jenkins said: People don’t even need to have a camera – w can stop anyone for any reason and aske them to give an account for themselves.
“The fact that he was carrying a camera is quite sensitive because part of our remit is to disrupt and prevent acts of terrorism.
“What the PSCOs have done is absolutely right.�

Here at the Gazette, it goes out without saying we fully support the police in their fight against terrorism, however we can not tolerate our phototgraphers or any other member of staff, being obstructed as they carry out their lawful daily duties – particularly as they are more than happy to provide identification and an explanation.

A stinging war of words has erupted between Ealing council’s Conservative leader Jason Stacey and his opposition Labour counterpart Sonika Nirwal.

Jason says: “It is really sad that we have such a weak and lazy opposition leader in Ealing. In the two years I was leader of the opposition, I hardly missed a cabinet meeting.�

Sonika has hit back saying: “The Tories want us to be there so they can be gung-ho about their policies. They have spent money on new microphones and name plates, and they feel it’s less of a show without us.�

Hopefully, this war of words will melt away, so both of them can really concentrate on what matters to the people of Ealing – you know those put-upon council taxpayers. What do you think?

Perhaps, they need to take a lesson from Ealing’s top bus driver Eamon Sweeney, who’s driven three million passengers and travelled 275,000 miles in the last 14 years across the borough.

He’s been shortlisted as one of the six best drivers to take the title of Top London Bus Driver to be announced on November 7. The bloke’s totally dedicated to his job and the Gazette wishes him well.

And finally, well done to the winners of our Billy Elliot musical show and the Monarch airline ticket competition. List of winners is in the Guide section of the Gazette. And don’t forget we’ve got a new competition to win show tickets for the West End musical Footloose.

And talking about footloose, it’s Friday and I’m too about to become footloose and fancy free!