thoughts from a london window

I know you have all read it before but i feel totally compelled to write. This is a user manual for all users of London Transport, AKA the tube or the underground.

I am fed up of travelling on the tube in London during the rush hour and having my journey disturbed because my fellow travellers do not adhere to the following simple rules. It may be due to lack of knowledge or due to the fact that they are selfish and just do not care. Please take note and it will guarantee that the your journey and that of your fellow commuters will be much more tollerable:

1) Always have your ticket ready when you approach the ticket barriers.
2) Always stand on the right hand side of the escalators to allow room for those who wish to walk on the left hand side.
3) Always allow the passengers to alight the train before boarding.
4) Always move down inside the carriages so that the others behind you can get on to the train too.
5) Contrary to what you may have heard it is OK to speak on the train, just not too loud.it is a conservative place often comprising of people going to and from work either preparing themself for the working day or reflecting on their day at work. They need the quiet time to deal with their day so please be considerate.
6) Being quiet also means that other commuters do not need to hear your Walkmans, MP3 players or phones playing music. not everyone in London appreciates your choice of music.
7) When you reach your destination do not alight the train and stop. please move to the wall on the platform before you look to see which direction you need to go to the way out or the way to the interchanging line. This stops those behind you from getting off the train and causes delays for those who want
8) do not hold the doors open when they are closing. threre is likely to be another along in 2 minutesThis will cause delays to the train timetable and may eveb cause a train to be defective and cause further delays.
9) Should you ever come across a fellow commuter struggling with a pushchair,wheelchair, large luggage or a child and luggage, assist them.using the tube is difficult at the best of time help your fellow passenger as next time it could be you.
10) Do not leave packages unattended. those who have been using the tube since the days of the IRA have had good practise for this new terrorism era. you know it can cause whole lines to be suspended and make your journey hell.
11) Show you appretiation for authorised buskers (Leicester Square, Piccadilly circus and Central London generally) particularly if they are good as they often help your journey to be that much more pleasant.
12) Smile. you may make someone's day.

Using London Transport is not all bad, we all know that it becomes increasingly more expensive year in year out but it can be insiteful, entertaining, educational and enjoyable. If we all follow these guidelines we can all help to make it a much more pleasant journey.

I cannot help but notice the amount of Hollywood films with Black actors top billing that are on general release. In all my years of following film there has never been so many at one time.

They are

Deja vu - Denzel Washington
The Last King of Scotland - Forrest Whitaker
In the pursuit of happiness - Will Smith
Dreamgirls (to be released) - Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx and Beyonce Knowles.
Each of the above have received great reviews at a time whrn the planet's facination with Hip hop and black music appears tobe waining.
Maybe this indicates a shift from music to film. maybe we will see more black actors winning oscars as Denzel Hallie and Sydney all did coincidently in the same year in 2002.

big brother racist?
Current mood: aggravated

This accusation of big brother being racist is interested on a number of levels. Firstly 10 plus contestants stuck in a house is supposed to be a reflection of the society that we live in, a social experiment. There is traditionally one gay, one black, one Asian contestant and the rest of them a mix of white female and male contestants from North and South of the country.

Celebrity big brother 2007 is no different. there is a cross section of society albeit from different countries of the world but once again you have the gay, black, Asian and northern and southern white contestants.

unfortunately racism is an integral part of society so why is the country surprised that racism exists in the house?

2000 complaints of racism were received by Ofcom. Viewers were unhappy with the treatment that Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty had received from the other housemates.

Females in the house have called her dog, she has been eferred to as the Indian because her name proved too difficult to pronounce or remember. for me the most hurtful and frustrating example of the racism is the Ostrasising of Shilpa by Jade, Danielle and Jo.

Racism has been an issue in every house since the beginning of big brother from Davina's interview of Macozie to Barrymore's abusive behaviour towards Dennis Rodman. So why has it been such a major issue on this occasion.

Shilpa Shetty is a Bollywood queen. Although she is Indian, the Bollywood industry is embraced Pakistan, Bangladesh and other South-Eastern Asians alike. Within their individual communities Asian communities are very close knit. The appreciation of Bollywood is a common denominator that brings them all together. The fact that Ofcom received over 2000 complaints and the fact that the issue is to be raised in the House of Commons by MP Keith Vaz is a clear example of how the Asian community have come together and have voiced their disgust at her treatment.

Racism takes many forms. One may be a victim of direct racial abuse or racially motivated physical abuse. But Institutional racism can be so underlying that even the perpetrator is unaware that what they are subjecting the victim to. The nation may pass it off as bullying but that us only because they probably have never experienced it themselves to know what it is.

Their grouping and bitching about Shilpa is classic example of Institutional racism that happens in the classrooms and offices of the country. I have experienced this exclusion from my white peers from primary school straight up to the office in my last place of work. there is a way in which one is felt that the reason that they are not privy to their conversations is because they are not worthy and not because their difference is a threat to these bullies as their ignorance and arrogance may be exposed.

Racism has been an issue in every house since the beginning of big brother from Davina's interview of Macozie to Barrymore's abusive behaviour towards Dennis Rodman. So why has it been such a major issue on this occasion.

Shilpa Shetty is a Bollywood queen. Although she is Indian, the Bollywood industry is embraced in Pakistan, Bangladesh and other South-Eastern Asians alike. Within their individual communities Asian communities are very close knit. The appreciation of Bollywood is a common denominator that brings them all together. The fact that Ofcom received over 2000 complaints and the fact that the issue is to be raised in the House of Commons by MP Keith Vaz is a clear example of how the Asian community have come together and have voiced their disgust at her treatment.

Racism takes many forms. One may be a victim of direct racial abuse or racially motivated physical abuse. But Institutional racism can be so underlying that even the perpetrator is unaware that what they are subjecting the victim to. The nation may mask it as bullying but that us only because they probably have never experienced it themselves to know what it is.

Shilpa Shetty is a beautiful, successful, classy, strong young lady who highlights the ugliness and stupidity of the likes of Danielle, Jo and Jade and has provided the country with a illustration of the institutional racisim that unfortunately is endemic in this country.