Blogs

Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next? BBC 1 Scotland, BBC 3, BBC iPlayer, presented by Jess Davies.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001c1mt/deepfake-porn-could-you-b... Mariam-Webster [online] dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deepfake deepfake noun plural deepfakes Definition of deepfake : an image or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said Two artists and an advertising company created a deepfake of...

Gladys Aylward - also a major folklorist

Hey there. Some of your you may be forgiven for thinking that Gladys was simply a boozy old biddy who got into Christianity. Ok she travelled with the missions in China and outer mongolia, going as far as Ulan Bator. Yes she was from a basic family and there were plenty of them, bless them all. She liked helping people and our Gladys also had a mildly mischievious sense of humour...

Charity shop sale - West London

TOO MUCH £1 sale!! Notices smotherrhe Large Cancer Research Charity Shop window. I join thethrong of customers, mainly middle aged to elderly women. One or two brave mums shove their double buggies inside, ignoring the wrath of the staff and other customers whose only aim is to be first and get the most cheap stuff. Our faces are set hard against frustration, disappointment, a life's experience of rip-offs, cheap knock offs and of being sold...

Angie Thomas (2017) The Hate U Give.

A remarkable debut novel. Often we conflate the narrator with the writer. Starr is sixteen. A black girl that goes to a school outside her district and ghetto. A coming-of-age drama. A love story. Inside and outside. Stories told in black and white. Class and entitlement, the embodiment of The American Dream and its flipside in the hood. The Hate U Give seemed familiar. Biblical. The Hate You Give is the Hate You Get. Eye for an eye. Old...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point 21 October 2022

Posted by Ewan on Fri, 21 Oct 2022 As usual it’s very difficult to single pieces out, because, as always there is a great deal of excellent material to choose from. Story of the Week Celticman’s Ugly Puggly continues to entertain and shock in equal measure. Check out the latest – at the time of writing – here . The '70s Look And The Battle For My Soul , Lou Blodgett’s account of a 70’s childhood in the US, and its effect on him is wryly funny...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point 21 October 2022

As chosen by Ewan As usual it’s very difficult to single pieces out, because, as always there is a great deal of excellent material to choose from. Story of the Week Celticman’s Ugly Puggly continues to entertain and shock in equal measure. Check out the latest – at the time of writing – here . The '70s Look And The Battle For My Soul , Lou Blodgett’s account of a 70’s childhood in the US, and its effect on him is wryly funny. However, the Story...

Harriet, BBC 4, BBC iPlayer, Writers Gregory Allen Howard and Kasi Lemmons, Directed by Kasi Lemmons.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001ckxy/harriet There’s an old trick for a director to add a few lines of text and also claim credit as a writer. Harriet is about slavery. Black people were bought and sold like slaves (and still are). You’ve probably had a mental blip, because it’s clichéd. From Prince claiming he was a slave and changing his name to a squiggle during a contractual dispute with his record company. In contrast, Liz Truss...

Morris Dancing - the 17 Century of Rebel Punk

There is always that little bit of debate and controversy about the Morris. Is it backdated and pointless all these ancient wallies with their bells and sticks? What about black face Morris is it racist? I saw a young troupe of black face Morris a few years back. They had theire faces greeny black and green and black streams from their hats. Wild costumes, wild dancing, lots of hefty stick banging and bell jangling And of course the 'obby oss...

The Rialto. Nature and Place Poetry Competition

This might be of interest to some of our wonderful poets. Do let us know how you get on NATURE AND PLACE POETRY COMPETITION 2023 The Rialto working in association with the RSPB, BirdLife International, Cambridge Conservation Initiative and The University of Leeds Poetry Centre. Poems are invited that deal with any aspect of nature and place – these terms will be given a wide interpretation by the judge Ian McMillan. Closing Date March 1st 2023...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Posted by airyfairy on Sat, 15 Oct 2022 Two very different, and very thoughtful, pieces this week. Story of the Week is jxmartin's 'Ian - the aftermath', about the devastation of a hurricane. One commenter on ABC has likened this author's beautifully written diaries of American life to the BBC broadcasts by the late, great Alistair Cooke, and I would certainly agree. The same warmth and friendliness, accompanied by acute observation: Ian- the...

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