On Sunday morning, thousands of revelers gathered in Central London to celebrate the annual Saint Patrick’s Day festival and parade. Patrick may be the patron saint of Ireland, but it’s not so well known that the man mythology claims to have driven the snakes from Irish shores was actually born in Britain. In light of…
Tag: News
Amazingly Creative Street Musician
The lady and I were in Notting Hill today when we spotted this highly creative street musician performing on the side of the road. If the video isn’t clear enough, he’s playing on a tennis racket, an old typewriter and a cutlery set – Yes, you read that correctly. The song, “Hit the road Jack,” was written and first recorded…
Brick Lane Mega-Gallery Pt. 2
Here are the street art pieces we saw on our trip to Brick Lane last weekend. I will say nothing more and let the work speak for itself… again.
Brick Lane Mega-Gallery Pt. 1
Here are the street art pieces we saw on our trip to Brick Lane last weekend. I will say no more and let the work speak for itself.
A work in progress
We went to Brick Lane at the weekend and despite the chilling wind, we had a fine day. We happened upon on Werdna and Mr Christa at work and got to chatting with them while they finished up. I asked Wernda if all that paint is doing any harm to his lungs. Probably, he told…
Constantly redecorating the city’s walls
Only last week, I posted about the unprecedented rate that new art-works are appearing around Camden Town. Sure enough, I went for a short walk around town this afternoon and quickly spotted a few new pieces. It is almost beyond question at this point that if you’re a street-artist wanting to get yourself noticed around…
10,000 Followers
Critical Dispatches gained its 10,000th follower over the weekend, which is rather a remarkable consideration. That I can publish a post in London that can be viewed as far away as Australia, the US, or Argentina still blows my mind. It is an absolute pleasure to be part of a community as diverse, engaging and…
Doing what they say you can’t
The customer information board at Camden Road Overground Station this morning. Walter Bagehot (1826 – 1877) was a British journalist, businessman and essayist.
More from the Chalk Philosopher
I caught sight of this poem, written on the pavement outside Camden Underground Station, while on my way back to the office after the gym this afternoon. It looks to be by the same person whose work I photographed a few months ago. For those finding the handwriting difficult to decipher, the poem reads: They…
Feminist campaigners welcome plans for the installation of North Korea’s first female despot.
North Korea, the controversial East Asian state, plans to install its first female supreme leader, delighting the legion of feminist critics who branded the previous regime as sexist, offensive and anachronistic. “This comes from high up, from the top,” said one source in reference to the decision. While no official statement has yet been released from…
McDonald’s newest branch in Hong Kong totally looks like something from George Orwell’s 1984
In an effort to improve their reputation as a “modern and progressive” organization, McDonald’s recently opened the first of its new “high-tech” branches in Hong Kong. As well as allowing customers to order their meals via touch-screen kiosks, the McDonald’s Next restaurant features a salad bar to cater to more health conscious diners. New items…
Citizen, remain vigilant
The terrorist threat level in the United Kingdom has recently been raised to Severe, meaning that there is high likelihood of a terrorist attack in the immediate future. Since the British Government initiated the launch of air missions against the Islamic State in Syria, living in London feels a lot like living in the centre…
Cooking George Orwell’s Long Lost Kidney Stew Recipe
On the day following King George V’s Silver Jubilee celebrations, 6th May 1935, George Orwell took a break from writing A Clergyman’s Daughter to type a letter to his friend and one-time romantic interest, Brenda Salkeld. Among Orwell’s usual topics of discussion (politics, literature, and low-culture) the author outlined what he described as a “wonderful” ox-kidney…
Star Wars Photoshop Action
I know it’s been a while since I published a new writing post but with the next trilogy of Star Wars movies just around the corner and news that Harrison “Han Solo” Ford recently broke his ankle on set at Pinewood Studios in the UK, I couldn’t resist having a spot of fun with some…